Unfinished Business
by relativestranger
Summary: Now finished! Squeal to "Dawn of a New Day." Michi & Neji have been happily together for a year now but someone from the past resurfaces and things can never be as they once were. Adult content & Language.
1. An Unexpected Reunion

_**AN: Holy effing cow... it's been a really, really long time since I've done this. What have I been doing this summer since I graduated you ask? Catch up on all the TV I've missed because of my studies but other than that, absolutely nothing. Just bumming it but that's all about to change as I am finally going to get off my lazy ass and look for that cushy job. But until I land said cushy job, here is the sequel to "Dawn of a New Day." If you haven't read that yet, I suggest you do so now.**_

_**So here is chapter one of "Unfinished Business." Enjoy and as always, review!!**_

_**Oh, and I seem to forget to do this a lot so... DISCLAIMER! I own nothing but the crazy spinning wheels I call my brain. **_

_**And even that is open for debate. **_

**Chapter One – An Unexpected ****Reunion**

She and Sakura finished their rounds at the hospital and were now eating dinner when Sakura yawned loudly, "Today was more tiring than usual. "  
"Yeah, I just want to go home and sleep."  
"Go home and sleep-sleep or go home and sleep with that hot boyfriend of yours?" Sakura teased.

"Both," she grinned, "Does that new boyfriend of yours know that you call mine hot?"

"No. And you better not tell him," she threatened.

She raised her hands in mock surrender, "I wouldn't even _dream_ of it. Although, I highly doubt he'd give a shit anyway."

"Yea no kidding. Sometimes I wonder if he really wants to be with me."

"Don't be silly! He may be a little... aloof at times but he's a good guy."  
"I think he likes you more than he likes me."  
"Well I can see why. After all, I am... me and you are... you."

"Thanks for making me feel better," Sakura scowled at her so-called friend.  
"Anytime, love, anytime. And besides, it's all because I can totally kick his ass in shogi."

Sakura shook her head at her former roommate's teasing and paid the bill.

They walked together back to Sakura's apartment and Sakura asked, "Is she still following you?"

"Unfortunately, yes."  
"Why don't you _do_ something?"

"Normally I would–"

"I know you would! That's why I find it odd that you haven't," Sakura interrupted.

"There's just something about her. Something familiar. And besides, she's harmless."  
"Do you think it's a fan?"

"A fan of what?"

"A fan of yours! You know, an admirer, an aficionado, an enthusiast," she cried while lightly back handing Michi on her arm, "Does Neji know about this?"

"He found out last night. He completely freaked out. He was about to chase her down but I was able to restrain him."  
"What? He's jealous of a girl?" she scoffed laughingly at the suggestion.

"I'll have you know that I attract people of all ages, sizes, shapes, and sex. It wouldn't be unusual if it is a female fan. But I don't get that vibe from her. It's something else entirely. And it's not like I can just... attack her. She's got a friendly, shy, unsure about herself kind of aura and I'd feel awfully bad if I accidentally... you know... kill her."

"Well you got to do something soon because it's getting annoying."  
"I know. I will."

"You staying in with the boyfriend?"

"Yea, we have plans... watch a movie or two. Have some ice cream."  
"Wow, Sakura, don't get too wild there!"

"Do not mock me! It isn't nice," she folded her arms across her chest and pouted, "It's not my fault we're not like you and Neji. Like a bunch of wild animals that can't keep your hands off each other!"  
"You'll get there."

"When?!" Sakura whined loudly, "I've known him for years and we're stuck in this rut! You knew Neji for what? A couple of months? And there's always fireworks!"  
"Okay, first of all, we've been with each other for well over a year. And in our defense, we've always had fireworks... ever since I saved his sorry ass. Sometimes I regret ever saving him."

"Oh stop it. You love him and you know it."  
"Again, sometimes I regret it."

Sakura laughed at her former roommate's bogus glumness, "I'll see you tomorrow."  
"Yea, good night. Have fun with the boyfriend!"  
"Same to you. Good night!"

She departed from Sakura's apartment and still felt that she was being followed. For the past week, she felt this woman following her. Whoever it was, she was harmless; not feeling any malicious intent toward her. But why doesn't she show herself?

She was on her way home from the Sakura's she finally became frustrated at this game of cat and mouse. She entered the building of Neji's apartment and waited at the end of the hallway. When her stalker reached the end of the hallway, she grabbed her arm and twisted it backward then pinned the assailant against the wall.

"You have been following me for the past week now."

"You know?"

"You don't hide yourself very well. It's kind of hard to miss. Now who the hell are you?"

"Could you let me go first, Michi?"

Michi twisted her arm harder, "How do you know my name?"

She winced in pain, "Like you said, I've been stalking you for a week. If I didn't know your name by now, then I haven't done a very good job now have I?"

Michi let her go, spun her around, and shock flashed in her eyes, "What the fuck are you doing here?" Michi asked unevenly; shaken by the unexpected turn of events.

"Good to see you too, little sister."

Michi let her go and ran her hand through her hair, "Y-you're supposed to be dead," she murmured.

"That's what they keep tell me."

A suffocating, deafening silence rang throughout the building.

"You're alive? You're alive?! You've been alive all this time?!" She broke the silence, screaming in anger at her long lost sister.

She saw Michi's nostrils flare and her eyes wild with blazing anger. All signs pointing to a not so pleasant confrontation. Michi always did have an explosive temper. And after all these years, that hasn't changed.

Desperate to placate her fuming sister, she held her hands in surrender, "Michi, please, calm down."  
"Calm down? Calm down!? Don't tell me to calm down! You don't get to tell me anything! You've been alive all this time and you didn't come home!" She paused to see if her sister had anything to say to defend herself then launched into another tirade, "Do you know mom died?! She died heartbroken because of you! Her precious, darling first born daughter! You left me and dad all alone! Do you know dad died?!"

"I-I know," she quivered.

"You left _me_ all alone! Do you know what that did to me? Do you know the burden I had to carry all by myself? For years?!"  
"I'm sorry, Michi. I–"

"You what? You didn't care? Is that it?"

"That's not it! Don't even think that!"

"Couldn't be bothered with such insignificant things like your family?"

"Mich-"

"What? What is it? What could you _possibly_ say that would make me feel better?!" Michi's breath caught; her chest heaving as the anger continued to radiate off her, "Did you just forget?!"

"Yes!" She shouted, equally her younger sister's volume.

"What?" Michi flinched at the admission.

"It's a long story. Will you _please_ just let me explain?"

--

They took a short walk to the cemetery and saw something that didn't belong there; at least not anymore... a gravestone that was engraved with her name, Terakami Masami.

"Why are you alive? As you can see..." she motioned the grave, "you're supposed to be dead."  
"I know. Sometimes, I think should've stayed dead." She sighed, "You remember that mission I had to the Lightning Country ten years ago?"

"Oh, you mean the one you 'died?'" she said sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes at her sister's childishness, "I was on my way home when a storm hit. I tried to find shelter but the storm kept getting worse. I uh, fell into a river," she rubbed her head embarrassingly, "I must have hit my head on a rock because after that, it was all black. Two days later, this couple fished me out of the river and I couldn't remember a thing."  
Silence filled the cemetery until Michi gaped at the absurdity of her story, "You have got to be kidding me!"

Masami's head swerved to face her sister, "That is the _lamest_ story I have ever heard!" Michi continued, "I mean I've heard of some farfetched and pathetic stuff before but wow! This... _this_ takes the fucking cake! You mean to tell me that you got amnesia from knocking your head on a rock?! You couldn't come up with something a little more... oh, I don't know... believable?!" Michi saw the flash of pain coat Masami's eyes but chose ignored it, "What, the clothes didn't give you a clue? Your forehead protector maybe?"

Masami hung her head, "It was a small village... they weren't familiar with the ninja villages; they knew they existed but they didn't know up from down. My whole life... it became nothing but a blur."

Michi clenched her jaw and gritted her teeth, "So why now?"

"A couple of months ago, I began having flashes. Bits and pieces of my memory came back. It actually been going on for years now but lately, it became more frequent and clearer," she took a deep breath, "At first I didn't understand any of it; none of it made any sense. Things were out of sequence... But two weeks ago, I was out during a big storm and... I-I don't know why and I don't know how but... things just came flooding back. So I came home."

Masami tried to take Michi's hand but she flinched away from the contact, "Michi, I'm so sorry. If I had known... you have to know that I would _never_ abandon you like that. I'm so sorry."

Michi was still confused with the sudden resurrection of her sister but asked quietly, "Do you have a place to stay?"

"I was going to stay at the house," Masami replied; equally as quiet.  
"No one's lived there for years. It's a mess. You can stay with me for now. We'll clean up the house tomorrow and get it into a suitable living space."

"I know that I can't come back after disappearing for ten years and expect you to accept me back into your life. But I _have_ to try. You understand that... don't you?"

Michi couldn't look her in the eyes, "Let's go. Neji's going to be home soon."

Michi walked back toward Neji's apartment as Masami looked forlornly at her younger sister and trailed slowly after her.

**AN: GAH! this is so irritating! Why can't I get the spacing the way I want it?! GROWL. I'm about to throw a bitch fit. And it's not going be pretty. **

**Now that I've vented... What do you think, my dear readers? Are you intrigued? Should I continue the sob story or should I quit while I still can? **

**Input will be greatly appreciated as reviews and feedback are my motivation for continuing to churn this stuff out.**


	2. A Forgotten Past

**AN: Here's chapter two. I hope you're enjoying it thus far.**

**Chapter Two – A Forgotten Past**

He threw the keys on the table and walked over to his girlfriend who was sitting at the dining table.  
He approached her from behind and kissed her, "How was your day, baby?"  
"Eventful, " she murmured quietly; eyes downcast.  
He sat down next to her and noticed her eyes were devoid of life. The hint of playfulness that was always there was now gone.  
He took her hand in his, "Baby, what's wrong?"  
"I've had a long day."  
"Is that stalker still following you? Because if he is I swear, I'm going to kill him."  
"First of all, it's a she and second of all, I found out who _she_ is today."  
"Well who–"

"Michi, I–"  
Neji jumped from his seat and drew his katana, "Who the fuck are you?"  
Michi lowered his katana, "Neji, please don't," she quietly came to her sister's defense.  
He gaped at his girlfriend, "There is a stranger in my house. What else am I supposed to do?"  
"Should I go?" Masami asked timidly.  
"No," she cried worriedly before turning back to Neji, "Neji, this is my sister."

He stood up a little straighter, "I'm... I'm sorry, I think I heard wrong. Did you say... your sister?"  
She unconsciously, out of habit, twirled her necklace with her fingers, "Yeah. My sister."  
He nodded and cleared his throat, "Huh... well... that's... rather interesting. I think I'm going to take a shower," he spun on his heels and gracefully moved toward the bedroom, "Excuse me."  
"I'm sorry. Is it me? Really, I could just go if this is a problem..." Masami trailed off worriedly.  
Michi shook her head, "Don't worry about it. Just get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

She crept into the bedroom and gently clicked the door closed. He was seated on the edge of the bed topless, wringing his shirt in his hands, "How could you not tell me?" he asked without looking up.  
"I don't know," she whispered so quietly he had to strain to hear it.  
His head shot up and he looked at her incredulously, "You don't _know_? You don't _know_? Oh, my dear heart... you're going to have to do _a lot_ better than that."  
She sat herself behind him on the bed and nestled her head on his shoulder, "I thought she was dead. Everyone did. She's been dead for ten years," she whispered.

She sounded so young... so lost.  
And she felt like a child again.

But he momentarily ignored her lost, little girl voice, "Yea, well obviously she's not," he scoffed.  
"Neji... please, don't be upset," she wrapped her arms tightly around his middle.  
"Don't be up–. You have a _sister_. A sister. Why wouldn't you tell me you had a _sister_? That's the kind of information that should come up in a conversation between a boyfriend and a girlfriend. Hell, it should come up in a conversation between a friend and a friend. Regardless if she were dead or not."

He was deceptively calm but she knew. She knew that he was seething.

"I don't have a good excuse. But you know that I would never deliberately keep something from you. My whole family was gone. I'm... I _was_ the only one left. I didn't want to bring up. I didn't want to be reminded of it. It was an extremely painful time for me. I was only a child when she... died," she buried her head further into the nook of his neck, "I'm sorry."

He let out a deep sigh, his anger was quickly dissipating at her rare display of vulnerability. He took her hand and kissed the inside of her palm, "I love you. You know that right?"  
"I know."  
"You can tell me anything."  
"I know."  
"So tell me."  
"Tell you what?" she played dumb.  
"Mich–"  
She groaned, "Her name is Masami. She's nine years older than me and ten years ago, she disappeared from a mission; presumed dead. And she stayed that way for ten years."

She curled up into his lap and continued, "We didn't always get along but we always watched out for each other. As a kid, I looked up to her but when she disappeared, I had no one and I... I kind of resented her for it. Even though she was 'dead.'"  
He stroked her hair, "Ten years. I've had ten years to come to terms with her death. I've accepted it and I've moved on. I mean, her body was never found but she never came back so we assumed she was dead. We never got to say goodbye. Never gave her a proper funeral and it broke mom's heart. And now... now she's miraculously alive and I don't know what I'm supposed to feel. How am I supposed to let someone who was supposedly dead back into my life? What am I supposed to do?"

Neji sighed, "You know I can't give you an answer to that but whatever happens, we'll figure it out together. But not matter what, she's still your family."  
"I know. And God, I've missed her so much. But right now... right now I hate her. She's been gone for so long and I know; I know it's not her fault. My head is telling me to forgive her but my heart... my heart tells me not to," her eyes began to glisten as it filled up with tears threatening to spill over, "And I can't help but hate her and be angry at her."

She fell into his comforting lap as he cradled her while she sobbed in his arms.

Outside, Masami slid down the wall, silent tears falling from her eyes after hearing her sister pour her heart out to the Hyuga.

--

The door opened the next morning and she fell backward. Having been jarred awake, she nearly let out a shriek when he covered her mouth with his hand, "I had a hard time getting her to sleep last night. I don't want to wake her."  
He helped her up to her feet, "Why don't you get cleaned up? We need to talk," his lips set in a grim line as he brushed past her.  
She nodded timidly.

She knew that she was older than him, much older but something in him intimidated her. She knew that the old her would _never_ let someone talk to her that way but pieces of her memory were still missing and she was in a foreign world. A world where she can no longer do the things she once got away with.

She looked at herself in the mirror and was greeted with a disheveled mess; there were dark rings under her eyes and her hair was frayed every which way. Hearing Michi last night was almost too much for her to take.

It broke her heart.  
It broke her heart that her supposed death broke her mother's heart.  
It broke her heart that she wasn't there for her father and sister when mom died.  
And it broke her heart that she wasn't there for Michi when dad died.

She quickly washed her face and found him waiting patiently for her at the dining table.  
"Take a seat," once again, she quietly obeyed.  
"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"  
"I know that you heard everything last night. I felt you outside the door. Michi would've felt it too but she was too distraught to pay any attention."  
"I didn't mean to–""You don't have to explain. Now you have to know, I love your sister. There is nothing in this world that I love and cherish more than Michi. There is _nothing_ that I could love more than her. And there is nothing, _nothing_ I wouldn't do for her. To protect her. And it kills me to see her in such turmoil."  
"You want me to leave."

He shook his head, "You misunderstand me. She's confused now but if you leave after she just discovered you're alive, it would kill her. And in turn it'll kill me. You are the only link she has left to your family. But you have to give her time. You've had time to prepare yourself before deciding to come back and see her again. But she lost a sister and then gained one back out of the blue with no warning. It'll take some time to adjust to it but she'll come around. Be patient with her. Don't force her and give her whatever space she needs. Just make it clear to her that you're _not_ going anywhere anytime soon."  
She nodded her head in understanding, "I promise."

He then looked over to the bedroom, "I have to go. I don't want her to wake up alone."

He silently left Masami sitting at the table as she vowing silently to Michi that she wouldn't leave her.

**AN: Good lord, that was such a BITCH to edit. Damn thing makes it so god damn difficult. GROWL. **

**As you can ascertain, I'm not too good with the angsty stuff... I'm much better at humor and one liners but the plot is necessary for the direction I want the story to ultimately move in. **

**Regardless of my lackluster attempt at angst, please remember to review! It's good for my soul and I need the motivation.  
**


	3. Time is on Your Side

**AN: Chapter 3.**

**Chapter Three – Time is on Your Side**

They walked from the hardware store to the Terakami family house with arms full of paint and other home improvement supplies.

"You didn't have to take the day off to do this."  
"I promised that I would help so I'm helping."

She growled internally at her sister's stick-up-her-ass, bitchy attitude but pressed on, "I got the blue for your room. I remember it's your favorite color."  
"You didn't have to do that. I have my own place," she paused but then added, "I picked up some green for you."

Masami studied Michi's profile, relieved that she remembered her favorite color and that she was finally making progress with her, "So your husband's a Hyuga."

"Is he really? Funny how I've been with him for over a year and I haven't even noticed. Thank you for pointing that out. I would've been so lost without it," she replied sarcastically, "And the 'Hyuga' is not my husband."

_And we're back to square one_, Masami thought miserably.

"He'll be helping in a little bit. He needed to take care of some errands first."

Masami nodded as they quickly approached the old house. Michi hadn't seen it in over six years and felt a small pang in her heart when she saw how dilapidated it had become. But she also felt a sense of nostalgia when she saw the old glass and metal wind chime hanging at the front porch.

Masami had similar feelings but was also a little grateful because the abhorrent condition of the house will mean more time she could spend with Michi in hopes of rebuilding their shaky relationship.

They began by moving the furniture into the storage space they had at the back of the house then began to lay down protective floor sheets throughout the entire house.

"You start out here. I'll get started in the dining room," Michi instructed.

Masami nodded at the assignment and pulled her hair up. Minutes later, Neji poked his head in the door, "You guys need some help?"

Michi came out from the dining room, "Yes we do. Do me a favor and check if everything is in working condition... you know the pipes, electricity... that sort of thing?"

"I don't have to _physically_ do that right?"

She scoffed, "The only reason why I asked you to help was because of those pretty eyes of yours."

"Again, discarded when not needed, loved when I come in handy."

"Go complain to someone who will listen. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a room to paint," she walked off in mock arrogance back to her work.

"How have things been?" he whispered to Masami.

"Not good. She's being a complete ass. But then again, she always had been. She was always a snot nosed little brat. Glad to see things haven't changed."  
Neji chuckled at the description of his girlfriend; remembering that's how he described himself once upon a time, "Yea that sounds about right. But she has grown up. She grew up faster than any kid should have to and now, her childish side sometimes... spills over."

Masami began twiddle her fingers, "Do you think you... that you could tell me what happened?"

Neji looked at her apologetically, "I'm sorry but that's something you should talk to her about. You know, when she decides to talk to you," he amended peppily.

She let out a short snort, "Yea, thanks."

"Here to help, here to help."

She shook her head and turned her attention back to painting, "Don't worry too much. You have plenty of time to get reacquainted," he reassured.  
Masami nodded, "I know, thanks."

They went back to their respective tasks when the front door blew open. Michi rushed out from the dining room to see the commotion, "I hope you know you're paying for that!"

The culprit scanned the room quickly until his eye rested on one person, "You're back. They told me that a ghost was walking through the village. But you're really back," he rushed toward Masami and enveloped her in a suffocating, bone crushing hug.

"You were dead. You're supposed to be dead," he mumbled into her hair.

She tentatively patted him on his back, "I'm sorry. But who are you?"

He pulled away from her and asked dejectedly, "You... you don't remember who I am?"

She sadly shook her head, "I'm sorry... but no."

His arms dropped to his side, "Oh. Of course," he turned and wretchedly walked out of the house.

"Shit," Michi muttered, "Here take this," she shoved her paintbrush toward Neji and chased after him, "Kakashi! Kakashi, wait!"

He didn't hear her as he was still mumbling to himself, "She doesn't remember me. She doesn't remember."

"Kakashi!" she grabbed his arm and spun him around. One look at his crestfallen face softened her tone, "Kakashi, it's not just you."  
"She doesn't remember me."  
"She didn't remember me for ten years. And I'm her sister."

He still looked hopelessly dejected, "Bits and pieces are still missing but if you give her time, she'll get there."

"She will?" he asked as his outlook on the situation began to brighten.

She nodded emphatically, "But I don't think running off like you've just been kneed in the 'nads will help. Don't give upon her Kakashi. Time is on your side."

"'Kneed in the 'nads?' You always were rather crude. I don't know why I forgot that about you. You're right... I can't give up! Besides, we can always create new memories right?" his eyes shone brightly with hope.

"S-sure," she stuttered at Kakashi's sudden burst of pep, "You want to help us fix the house?"

"Absolutely!" he shouted in uncharacteristic zest.

He put his arm around her and gave her a friendly hug, "I hope you know that you're seriously paying for that door." He chuckled, "Absolutely."

They walked back to the house together, "Masami, this is Hatake Kakashi. The two of you were childhood friends."

She squinted her eyes at him, "You do look familiar... but I... I'm sorry I can't seem to place you."

"It's okay. I'm sorry about earlier."

"You were disappointed. I understand," she then hesitantly asked, "Could- could you... tell me anything?"

Kakashi's eye(s) lit up, "Well, we met each other when I was 12 and you were eight..."

Neji wrapped his arms around Michi, "You did something good."  
"I didn't do it for her. I did it for Kakashi. He looked like a kicked dog, limping out of here with his tail between his legs."

"Admit it, you did it for her."  
"I did not!" she argued. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, "Okay! Maybe a little. Maybe this little," she placed her pointer finger and thumb an inch away from each other to show just how little.

He took her hand and pulled her toward him, "No matter what, she's still your sister. Remember that."  
"I know," she said petulantly, "But that doesn't mean that I can't be a bitch to her sometimes."  
"So you know you're being a bitch?"

"That was the whole point wasn't it?"  
"It was out of her control."  
She sighed resignedly, "I know. I promise that I'll try, okay?"

"That's all I want, baby," he gathered her in his arms and kissed the top of her head while they watched Kakashi and Masami talk excitedly to each other.

**AN: I completely gave up on editing. Far too tedious and I don't feel like being meticulous right now.  
**

**Remember to review!  
**


	4. Moving Forward

**AN: Ouch... has it really been that long? So sorry to leave all my readers hanging but i contracted a case of the lazies but i decided to update and hopefully i'll be more productive.**

**Chapter Four – Moving Forward**

It had been a week since they begun fixing the house. Now, it was in perfect living condition and Masami had moved out of Neji's couch and into the newly refurnished house.

During the course of the renovation, Michi and Masami had begun to get along. They were now able to have two sided conversations with Michi replying with full sentences instead of one word answers, grunts, or scathing remarks.

Masami woke up bright and early and fell into her morning routine of cleaning the house even though it was virtually spotless. She was getting started in the kitchen when a gentle knock came from the door. Masami opened the door and was greeted by Kakashi, "Ohayo!"

"Ohayo, Kakashi-kun," she smiled brightly at him. Not only had her relationship with her sister progressed, she had become closer to Kakashi as well. While her memories of him hadn't returned, he had been diligently telling her stories of their friendship in hopes of rekindling her memories.

But she had a feeling that their relationship went beyond just old, childhood friends. She might not have all of her memories but it didn't make her blind or dense to the fact. She didn't ask because she feared their friendship would become strained and awkward due to her lack of recollection. And he didn't bring it up because he didn't want press the issue and make her feel pressured to remember.

"How was the first night?"

"Great. I had my own bed and didn't have to sleep on a small couch."  
He chuckled, "I'm pretty sure Neji's couch isn't small."

"It's not... It's actually quite lavish."

"Well, he is a Hyuga after all."

"So how have things been with Michi?"

"Making some progress. She even told me that she's starting her position as Chief of Medicine today."

"I heard about that. Hokage-sama promoted her. She had fight Michi tooth and nail to get her to accept but she finally did."

"Things are never easy with her," she hit herself on the head when she realized she hadn't offered her guest anything to drink, "Where are my manners? I'll get some tea."  
"Don't worry about it, Masami."

"Don't be silly. You're in my home now. What kind of host would I be if I didn't offer you tea?"

He smiled under his mask and nodded, "Tea would be nice."

She walked over to him and gave him a small peck on the cheek, "Thank you," she said earnestly before disappearing into the kitchen.

He was thankful a mask was forever covering half his face because he was blushing madly like a prepubescent schoolboy that just received his first kiss from the prettiest girl in school.

--

She hummed merrily on her way to her office. Yes, that's right, her _office_. Never pegged her for an office kind of girl but here she is, on her way to her _office_.

Her new position at the hospital, Chief of Medicine, entailed her to... well to basically boss people around. She wasn't much of a teacher; she didn't have the patience so Tsunade had assigned Sakura to that role.

With the new job came a new title, a new office, and a new outfit. When Tsunade first handed it to her, she was appalled by its plainness. The standard long, white robe was far too... well, standardized.

Too typical.

Too normal.

Too common.

Not content on looking bland, she dyed the robe a devastatingly dark black with splashes of bright red at the end of the sleeves and collar. She also cut it shorter as it now rested mid thigh and she opted in wearing black shorts underneath and a white camisole.

She opened the door to her office (she still couldn't get over the fact that she had an **_office,_**) and found that someone was occupying her chair.

"How did you get here before I did? I woke up before you!"  
"What can I say? I'm quicker than you."  
"You are not and you know it," she grinned at him, "Get out of my seat," she demanded.

"No. I like it. When am I ever going to sit in a chair in an office like this? Just let me enjoy it," he smiled boyishly at her.

She rolled her eyes and conceded to his request. She walked over to her desk and sat down, "So what are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd come to congratulate you on your promotion," he lightly traced his fingers and softly kissed her thighs, smiling seductively up at her.  
Lifting one foot up, she teasingly placed it in between his seated thighs, "You've already done that last night. Several times if I recall."  
"Well I don't see any reason why I can't come in and congratulate you here too," he tucked his tongue behind his teeth and waggled his brows.

"I guess you're right."

He grabbed her calves and pulled the chair closer to the desk and began to lightly kiss her inner thighs. When he approached her shorts, he asked, "Why are you wearing these?"

"I didn't realize you were coming to my office to ravage me."

"You should know better," he pouted.

"Shut up," she grabbed his lapels and yanked him out of the chair. His hands quickly went to her thighs and roughly pulled her body to the edge of the desk. He tugged her robe open and allowed his hands to roam over her body. She expertly pushed his robes off his shoulders and fastened her mouth on his throbbing pulse.

His body trembled as pleasure from her mouth shot straight to his cock. They continued groping, clinging, clutching on to each other when the door suddenly flew open, "Michi, I _have_ to tell you some – oh my god! I'm so sorry!" and the door slammed shut.  
They scrambled to pull their clothes back on.

Neji growled irritably, "You got to be fucking kidding me! Why can't I just nail you to the desk?"

"Because we left the door unlocked," she muttered back and quickly kissed him and headed to the door.

She pulled the door open and saw that Sakura was still on the other side, clutching her chest, dumbstruck by what she had just walked in on.

"Sakura, what do you want?"

"I don't remember."

Michi blew out a breath of hot air, "I didn't come out here to hear you say 'I don't remember.' Try."  
"What the fuck just happened?"

"Well, before you rudely interrupted, Neji was about to pin me to the desk and have his wild ways with me. Right about now he would be –"

"Oh my god, stop! I don't want to know."  
Sakura quickly walked toward the canteen, "You're the one who asked! Don't be such a prude; it's a natural human process. Now, you sounded happy before your eyes began to burn out of your sockets. What happened?"

"Huh? Oh right, I just wanted to tell you that Shikamaru and I –"

"Had sex."

Surprised that she guessed correctly, Sakura asked, "How do you know?"

"You look like you had sex."  
"How do I look like I had sex?"

"There are certain things. I can't explain it... but you definitely had sex. Good for you and Shikamaru. It's about damn time."  
"Shut up," Sakura muttered.

"So tell me, how is he?"

Sakura looked at her former roommate flabbergasted, "What? I'm not telling you!"  
"Why not? I told you!"  
"I didn't want to know!"  
"Yea, sure you didn't. That's why you asked," she pointed out sarcastically.

"I'm not telling you squat!"  
"Then why did you come to tell me you had sex with Shikamaru in the first place?!"

Sakura sputtered to get words, "That's not what I wanted to tell you anyway!"

"Then what did you want to tell me?"

Sakura huffed, "Forget it!" before stomping away.

"Fine! Walk away! I'll come over later and we'll talk then!" she shouted after her before heading back into her office where a very horny Neji was waiting for her.

**AN: Again, i'm sorry for the lack of updates but please review... it's good for the soul. Depending how productive i am, there may (or may not) be another chapter tonight. keep your fingers crossed. **


	5. Foiled Once Again

**AN: Productivity at it's finest...**

****

**Chapter Five – Foiled Yet Again **

She returned to her office but found that he was no where in sight. Disappointed, she realized that she should've told him to stay and wait for her to come back to finish what they started.

Letting out a small, dejected sigh, she saw a small pile of paper on her desk and decided to start on her work.

She made it halfway to her desk when she was suddenly yanked down onto the small couch. He pushed her into the plush, soft couch and kissed her roughly and possessively until her lips became red and swollen, "I thought you left," she panted breathlessly.

He took her hands and dragged it directly over his hardened arousal, "Do you think I was going to leave like this? Does it _feel_ like I can leave like this?"

She grinned flirtatiously and purred saucily, "Perhaps I can help with that."

"Well that's why I stayed."

They made quick work of their robes once again; pushing and pulling each other's clothing, their hands roaming blindly over each other's familiar bodies. He pulled her up to a seated position and she shifted until she was straddling him. She ground her hips into the large bulge forming at the front of his pants that elicited a throaty moan. His lips and tongue perusing along the length of her soft, ivory throat.

He then buried his face into her ample chest and ravishingly feasted on her succulent flesh. He gently tugged on the soft cotton camisole she wore under her robe, releasing her soft mounds from its confines. He immediately located the small nipples; unable to resist tasting them. They had quickly become erect and with his expertly talented tongue, he rolled the small bud between his tongue and teeth; using the backs of his teeth to gently graze the sensitive nub. He used his fingers to pinch, pull, and cruelly twist her other already taut nipple. She arched her back, pressing her breasts into his mouth and hands as silent encouragement.

She loosened the lower portion of his robe and encircled his engorged cock with her warm hands. He released his hold on her breast and groaned as he threw his head back against the couch. Wanting to feel her warm tightness, his hands began to wander down on its way to her fiery lower regions when a heavy pound came from the door.

"Ignore it," he gasped as they continued to grope at each other's bodies. But the pounding came again and this time was accompanied with a voice, "Open the door, Michi! I know you're in there!"

He growled lowly and cursed, "Fuck! Why can't I have a nice, hot, fuck with my girlfriend?!"

"Because your girlfriend stupidly accepted this job," she grumbled; equally peeved by the interruption.

"Is it too late to back out?"

"Believe me; I'm starting to rethink this whole 'having a job thing.'"

He finished tying his robe together and threw his arms in the air, "All I want is to have a good fuck with you. Is that too much to ask for?"

"Apparently," she quickly got dressed and tried to make herself as presentable as possible with the short amount of time but not before another loud pound came from the door, "Michi! Open the god damn door!"

"I'm coming!" she screamed.

Neji groaned painfully at the choice of words, "I wish you were," he muttered.  
"I will be if you stay right here. I'll be right back. Stay here," she opened the door just slightly and slid out; preventing Tsunade from peeking into the office.

"What the hell took so long?" she snarled.

She had spent the last hour arguing with Shizune on whether or not to approach Michi on matter over the Technological Development Department. And then she had to walk all this way from the Hokage tower to the hospital only to be locked out of Michi's office.

"What seems to be the matter, Tsunade?" Michi tried to placate Tsunade's temper.

Tsunade gaped at Michi's appalling appearance; her hair was a complete mess and her robe wasn't buttoned correctly, "Please tell me you do not come to work looking like this! You look like a mess! Like... like a mad_woman_! Your patients better not see you like this! A-and your subordinates! You can't look like this in front of your subordinates! What kind of example are you setting?!"

Michi opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Neji from her office, "I'll see you later," he winked at her and gave her a gentle yet firm squeeze of the buttocks.

She hid her surprise of his actions well but silently gasped.

The two women watched him depart and Tsunade's jaw dropped even further and furiously growled, "I did _not_ promote you and I am _not_ paying you to have sex with your boyfriend in your office!" she screeched loudly.

Michi rubbed the ringing from her ears and clarified, "I don't think the coroner in the basement heard you. And we weren't having sex," and then haughtily quipped, "We were _about_ to have sex when you rudely interrupted."

"You are unbelievable. I employ you and you have no problem telling me about your extracurricular activities! That's not the type of thing you tell your boss!"  
"And you people have to stop running to me for everything! This is the second time we were in the middle of something and some one bursts in!"  
"You've done this before!?" she asked incredulously.

"Sakura came in just when we were–"

Tsunade stuck her fingers in her ears, "You are incorrigible! I don't want to know _any_more!!"

"Fine," she folded her arms across her chest, "then what may I do to help you?"

"What?"

"You were pounding on my office door pretty loudly. I assume you wanted something from me."  
"Oh, right. I need to see your sister."  
"My sister?" she asked bewildered and then realized what Tsunade wanted, "No! NO! She doesn't have all of her memory back. You can't send her on some mission!"  
"Relax; I'm not planning on shipping her off on a mission. There have been some problems at the Technological Development Department and just needed her input. She was always good at those types of things. She took after your mother and you took after your father. Now, where can I find her?"

"Are you sure you're not trying to recruit her for something more?"

"I'm not going to send a ninja with only half a memory on a mission! Call it a liability issue!"

She eyed Tsunade wearily but conceded, "She's at the house."

"Thank you. Now do me a favor and stop having sex on hospital property."

"You know now that you've forbidden it, it's only going to encourage me even more."

"If I hear about it, I will fire your ass!"

"Bye Tsunade! I'll see you soon! Save me a spot on the unemployment line!"

**AN: If you've found any mistakes this chapter, forgive me. i got a little lazy and didn't proofread as thoroughly as i should have.**


	6. Third Time's the Charm

**Here's chapter 6 my friends. Enjoy the smut and review.**

**Chapter Six – Third Time's the Charm**

She sighed again and headed back into her office. Discouraged by Neji's disappearance, she slouched over her desk, no longer motivated to work. She twirled a pen between her fingers and stared aimlessly at the wall.

The door creaked open and Neji stuck his head in, "I saw Tsunade-sama leave. Is it safe to come in?"

She nodded perkily, "I thought you said you were going home."

"No, I said I'll see you later. And it is later. Now, what are you going to do to make it up to me for all those interruptions?"  
"It wasn't my fault," she prettily pouted.

He loved it when she pouted... her plump, full lips jutting out; just waiting to be nibbled on. But this time, he wouldn't be distracted, "You took the job, it's your fault."  
"You're mean."  
"So you keep saying. Now what will you do?"

She got up from her seat and walked over to him. She reached behind him and locked the door, "That takes care of one problem," she sultrily purred.

"And the other?"

She snuck her hand over his quickly hardening cock and heard him groan, "If there's another interruption..." his voiced laced with lust.

"Third time's the charm," she whispered.

She pulled loose his pants and allowed it to pool around his ankles. Her soft hands stroked across the length of his member; sending shivers down his back. Seeing the wicked glint in her eyes, he suspiciously asked, "What do you have planned?"

She smiled saucily at him and pushed him against the door. She dropped to her knees and encircled her hands around the base of his enlarged penis. A soft thud came from when he threw his head back let out a low, throaty, guttural moan.

She licked from the base to the tip of his cock and flicked her tongue at the belled head of the sensitive organ. He clutched the back of her head, trying to encourage her to take him deeper in her mouth. He groaned in frustration when she didn't comply. Instead, she gently nibbled the length of his member; occasionally licking him.

He watched hungrily, his cock twitching at the sight of her on her knees; her pretty pink lips wrapped around his cock, his dick disappearing into her warm mouth, and his cock glistening from her saliva.

With her hand, she palmed the weight of his balls and gently squeezed him. He grunted and tried to thrust his hips toward her but with her other hand, she pinned him to the wall, stalling his silent pleas. She was taking him in achingly slow and was driving him to the edge of insanity. He decided that he was going to fuck her into the wall as soon as his limbs were working again.

He opened his eyes in surprise when he felt her mouth leave him and gaped at the sight she had presented him with. Her shorts and bright red, lace panties laid discarded off to the side, her short robe bunched up to her waist, and she was bent over the desk; her legs spread open, her shapely, soft, round buttocks jutting out toward him; inviting him to plow into her.

When she realized that he hadn't budged from where she left him, she tilted her head in his direction and cheekily said, "If you're not going to fuck me, then I'll find someone who will."

He growled at the suggestion and was instantly behind her, "Don't you even dare think it." He hovered above her and hotly breathed down her neck, "You are in a lot of trouble for that."  
"And how do you intend on punishing me?"

He thrust his cock tantalizingly close to her entrance; rubbing his fully aroused cock along her hot, wet folds but never penetrating. She whimpered at the agonizingly slow torture in which he took great pleasure in.

He knew that the sight she had presented him with meant that she wanted him to take her hard and fast. He had initially wanted that too but after her little comment, it left him seething and decided to torture her by slowing things down.

He continued his reign of torment, letting his long, strong, slender fingers stroke in and out of her tight channel. Her legs began to weaken, shaking as the result of his assault. She felt herself growing hotter, wetter, needier and pushed her hips backward for more contact. But as she had done to him earlier, he held her stationary; not allowing her any additional contact.

She knew he wanted her to beg but she was far too proud to do so. For several minutes, they were locked in a battle of wills, neither one wanting to give in to the other.

But his continual stroking of her in that familiar, possessive manner became too much for her to bear and she let out a frantic, tortured, strangle cry, "Please. No more teasing." He smirked at her broken resolve and took pity on her.

He slowly entered her; entering her inch by agonizing inch. When he was finally fully embedded in her core, he waited until he heard a soft whimper escape from her lips.

She once again tried to push her hips toward him but was stopped. He took her earlobe between his teeth and hummed, "Not until you apologize."

She refused to give in to any more of his demands and tried to hold out as long as possible, "You know, I can stay like this all day. I have no problem with that. I _love_ being buried in your heat," he told her when she didn't reply.

"I hate you," hissed through clenched teeth.

He smirked, "Baby, you love me and you know it," he paused and added thoughtfully, "And you _love_ this. What I do to you. How I make you feel. You love having my cock buried in your sweet pussy," he murmured huskily in her ear.

If it were possible, her legs grew weaker and her pussy grew wetter at his hot words. He developed a penchant for dirty talk and she loved every minute of it.

"Now, is there something you wanted to say to me?"

"I'm sorry," she whimpered quietly.

He gave her a short, hard trust; a preview of what's to come if she did what he asked, "I can't hear you, love."

She gasped and immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please. Please," she breathlessly pleaded with him.

He wasn't entirely pleased with her apology but he took pity and began to slowly thrust in and out of her shaking body.

She hated the power he currently held over her but at the same time, thrilled at the discovery of his fiery resolve.

He kneaded her fleshy behind as he listened to her soft moans. His erection throbbed painfully but didn't give into his animalistic, primitive, savage desires. His knowing fingers located her clit and pressed firmly and heard her cry out.

"Neji, please," she pleaded; her voice beginning to tremble.

But he ignored her pleas, merely increasing his forceful strokes until her body was completely receptive of his deep, long plunges and took great satisfaction at how wantonly her body was receiving him.

Deciding he tourtured her enough for the time being, he slowly pulled his throbbing erection out until only the bulging head of his cock was in her.

"Please what?" he quietly murmured her previous pleas.

Her breath caught in her throat, "Please fuck me," she cried loudly.

He plunged into her with one swift, forceful stroke; emitting a low grunt of pleasure as her walls responded eagerly to the invasion. He sped up his thrust, taking her harder, faster, and deeper. Her legs instinctually spread itself further apart and she fisted her hands; crumpling the loose, scattered paper that was on her desk.

Feeling her walls clamp down around him as if in a vice grip, dug his fingers into her fleshy hips and harshly pinched her engorged clit. She cried out in pleasure and upon hearing her, he shot his hot, sticky release into her womb. Their bodies convulsed violently at their passionate coupling; their combined fluids oozing down their thighs. He remained buried in her body, enjoying the contractions of her wonderfully slicked walls.

Once their breathing leveled off, he calmly released her. He wordlessly picked up the clothes that was scattered throughout the room and gracefully pulled on his clothing; acting as if nothing had happened and then handed her the remaining garments, "I'm keeping this," he informed her concerning her bright red panties, "Get dressed. And fix your hair. You look like a mess."

She snatched her clothes from his hands and quickly put it on. Once they knew they were presentable again, she walked him to the door, "Don't think you're off the hook yet. When you come home tonight, there will be hell to pay," he lowly threatened.

"I look forward to it."

He turned back with one final warning, "Just so we're clear, this pussy – _your _pussy," he emphasized while rubbing her crotch, "Is for _me_ to fuck and _me_ only. Do you understand?"

"You keep fucking me like that and you won't have to worry."  
He grabbed her hips roughly and pulled her toward him, "I'd be very careful right now if I were you. You are on _very_ thin ice as it is and you are playing with fire."

She licked her lips in anticipation, "I love playing with fire," she teased.

He spanked her and she let out a quiet squeal, "Get back to work," he smirked sexily.

He left the door open and by the looks of envy, she realized that people had heard the exchange that occurred in her office.

And for some reason, it left her face burning to know they had been overheard.


	7. Guessing Games

**Ouch, has it really been that long since I last updated? I deeply apologize for the lack of updates but I guess you can say I've been suffering from a lack of motivation which is surprisingly correlated to the lack of reviews... Hmm food for thought. But besides the lack of motivation, there has also been what could be called... a creative struggle. I know what direction I want to take the story and I guess I'm making progressing but I'm far from done. **

**Chapter Seven – Guessing Games**

"Ah, lunch. Finally."  
Sakura scoffed, "It's not like you did any real work anyway."  
"Hey! I resent that accusation! I did plenty of work!"  
"Did you? Did you _really_?"  
She sputtered, "I don't have to dignify that with an answer!"

She took a long drink from her tea, "So... you and Shikamaru, eh?"  
"I am _not_ discussing this with you."  
"Oh, come on! Why not? Ever since I finished the latest installment of Icha Icha Paradise, I haven't had much entertainment."  
"Forget it!"  
"I must say though, I'm a little surprised that you chose Shikamaru."  
"Why do you say that?"  
"Well, you seem more into the silent, brooding types."  
"What does _that_ mean?"  
"I know you had a thing for the Uchiha boy. _And_ you had a crush on Neji."  
"I did not!"  
"Can't fool me. I know you."

She wanted to deny her accusations but found herself unable to do so, "I guess I thought if you were to end up with someone, it would be Shino."  
Sakura choked on her tea, "Shino?! Are you mad?"  
"Well, why not? He's a genius. And he's a man of few words. He might not very broody or angst-y but at least he looks it."  
"Shut up."  
"Maybe you can ditch Shikamaru and make a move on Shino."  
"I can't believe you're even suggesting that!"  
Continuing as if she hadn't heard her, she said, "I mean, it's not like Shikamaru would be heartbroken... he always has that Suna chick hanging around."  
"That Suna chick has a name and it's Temari."  
"Who cares what her name is. The point is that it's not too late to change your mind."  
"Could you just stop with this Shino thing?"

"What Shino thing?"  
"Shino! We were just talking about you," Michi said excitedly.  
"What about?"  
"We were just saying how Sakura–"  
"Was wondering what you look like without the glasses," Sakura interrupted.  
"Oh, well too bad you'll never find out. Like how Kakashi-sensei has his mask, I have my sunglasses. They're never coming off my face."  
"You know I think that's the most I've ever heard you say," Michi said thoughtfully.  
"And it will be the first and last time you'll ever hear me say this much. I made an appointment with Kiba for training. I'll see you around," he tilted his head slightly and walked off.

"What the hell is the matter with you!?" Sakura exploded.  
"I'm sitting right here. There's really no need to yell."  
"You are insane for even thinking about telling Shino what we were discussing!" She hissed.  
"I wasn't **_really _**going tell him that. I'm not that cruel. I thought you knew me better than that."  
"I do know you better than that. And that's the problem," Sakura huffed at Michi's flippant attitude.

She stared at her cup, frowning and pouted.  
"Why do you look so grouchy?"  
"What do you want, Ino-pig?"  
"Still calling me that? I thought we were past all that? We're not 12 anymore, Big forehead girl."  
Michi perked up, "Oh, this is entertaining," Michi smiled at the two best friends' bickering.  
"You – don't speak," Sakura snapped.  
Michi sat up straighter, "Excuse me?"  
"Every time you open your mouth, something bad comes out," Sakura explained; fearful that Michi would say something to embarrass her in front of Ino.  
"_Excuse me_?" her voice dropped to a threatening tone.  
"You heard what I said. Get over it," Sakura was intimidated with her tone, as would anyone in their right minds but she wasn't going to admit that.  
She stood up threateningly and Ino stood up with her.

"Now, now children; no more bickering," Ino intercepted; her hands held up in a placating manner.  
"Since when did you become mediator?" Michi asked.  
"We take turns. Now are you going to behave?"  
"I'm always behaved."

Michi took a drink from her tea and remembered her conversation with Sakura, "Since you're here. Guess what?" she asked Ino.  
"You had sex."  
"See? She gets it," she said to Sakura, "And while I did, no, that's not what we're guessing. Try again."  
"I'm bad at guessing games. Just tell me."  
"Party pooper; Sakura had sex and she won't give me any details!"  
"Michi!" Sakura screeched.  
"Again, sitting right here. I'm deaf now."  
"You mean to tell me that she's not giving up the goods?"  
"No! Isn't that ludicrous?"  
"She won't comment about _anything_?"  
"_She_ is right here!" Sakura continued to screech.  
"Sh! We're having a conversation," Ino shushed.  
"About me! Don't you think I have a right to this conversation?"  
"Not if you're not going to tell us anything. Now butt out!"  
"I would tell you."  
"And I would tell you. But Sakura is being a big meanie and keeping all the good stuff all to herself!"brp"You know what? I'm not having this conversation! I'm going back to work!"

Sakura stormed off grumpily leaving the two friends smiling in her wake; in absolute glee that they've made their friend so uncomfortable.  
Still smiling at Sakura's fuming back, Michi grinned, "You know I wouldn't tell you _any_ details right?"  
"I know. I wouldn't either. Just saying it to get her riled up?"  
"It's certainly the highlight of my day." She paused and faced Ino again, "So how are you feeling? Any new boys?"  
"Well it has been six months since Kiba. There have been suitors here and there."  
"Hm, fun, fun, fun."  
"_A lot_ of fun."

"I knew I'd find you here."  
"Kakashi-sensei."  
"Kakashi-sempai."  
"I just came from your sister's. Looks like the two of you are beyond two word answers."  
"Don't break out the champagne yet; I'm still bitter. And if you're here on her behalf, save your breath."  
"I know. But it's still nice to see you're getting along at least."  
"How is she anyway," she asked curiously.  
"She's good. She's not conscious her memory returning but there's bits and pieces."  
"That's... good."  
"I know you're happy for her. I know you're doing your happy dance so stop faking."  
"Oh, yeah so happy, I'm piddling in my panties."  
Ino snorted amusedly, "Piddling in my panties!"  
The other two stared curiously at Ino, "Sorry."  
"Tsuande-sama came by the house looking for Masami. Know anything about that?"  
"Something about technological problems and needing her input. Something or another."  
"Um... I'm sorry to interrupt, but Terakami-san, you're needed in room 204."  
"Oh look, work. And you thought I don't do anything. I'll see you guys later."  
"Dinner at the house tonight!"  
Michi waved her hand dismissively; a façade showing that she didn't care but indicating that she'll be there with Neji and a bottle of sake in tow.

"So..." Ino started, "Michi has a happy dance?"

**See that rectangle box thinger at the bottom of the page? Smack dab in the center? With the green letters and stuff? Yeah, that box. You know which box I'm talking about. I dare you to click on it. Comments, suggestions, and reviews are all welcome. Words in general would be nice.**


	8. Cooking Disaster?

**Remember to read Chapter 7 first! Updated twice today!**

**Chapter Eight – Cooking Disaster?**

**"Knock, knock! I'm here. And I bought sake!"**  
"She means _I _bought sake. She's too cheap to buy her own."  
She stuck her tongue out at him, "Where are you?"

"Sit down, I'll be right out!"  
She shrugged her shoulders and took a seat on the couch next to Kakashi, "How long have you been here?"  
"For the past hour."  
"What is she doing?"  
"Apparently, she's cooking."  
She did a double take at Kakashi, "She's _what_?"  
"She's _cooking_."  
"She's _cooking_? _Why_ is she _cooking_?"  
"Something about wanting a home cooked meal."  
"And you let her? Are you insane?"  
"She insisted! She-she threatened me with bodily injury! And you know that I can never refuse any of your sister's demands!"

Neji decided to interject, "Am I missing something? What's so bad about her cooking?"  
"You don't want to know."  
"Is this meal going to kill me?"  
"It's always a possibility. But lucky for you, I'm a medic."  
She turned to Kakashi again, "Do you want us all to die?"  
"Maybe it won't be so bad."  
"Maybe? _Maybe_? _Maybe_ I won't go to work tomorrow. _Maybe_ Tsunade won't throw a bitch fit if I miss work tomorrow. _Maybe_ I won't have sex with Neji tonight–"  
Neji shot out of his chair; eyes wild with panic, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute, _what_? Maybe you won't _what_?"  
"I was being sarcastic. You and I both know that's not going to happen."  
He snorted, "It better not!"

Kakashi buried his head in his hands, "Can we not have this conversation? It's making me _very_ uncomfortable. I've known you since you were a kid... since you were in diapers and this conversation... i-i-it-it can _not_ end well."  
"Kakashi, we're all adults here. There's no need to get queasy and wigged out over the topic of hot, dirty sex."  
"Don't know, don't care, don't want to hear it."  
"Fine... you little girl."  
"Oh, that's real mature... now who's the little girl?"  
"Still you."

He rolled his eyes at his childhood friend and heard Masami yell, "Dinner's ready!"  
The three guests looked at each other wearily and unsteadily walked over to the table, "It looks edible," Michi whispered to both men.  
"See? Maybe it won't be so bad."  
Michi's eye twitched, "Then you can be the one to gets first dibs. Since you seem to have so much confidence, you can try it first."  
"But–"  
"Maybe it won't be so bad, remember?"  
He growled, "Fine," he gritted.

He cleared his throat and stared intently at the plates in front of him.  
"What's the matter?" Masami asked.  
"Yeah Kakashi, what's the matter?" Michi 'innocently' echoed while Neji smirked at Kakashi's discomfort.  
"Nothing... just deciding what to eat first."  
Michi helped him out, "Here: try this one first," she said cheekily.  
"You're so helpful, Michi. Thank you ever so much," he hissed.  
"It's my pleasure."

Michi and Neji watched in amusement while Kakashi wondered how to eat it without taking off his mask... or least avoid allowing the other three from seeing his face in its entirety.  
Neji knew why Kakashi was hesitating.

Neji cleared his throat, thinking this was the perfect opportunity to see Kakashi without his face: a never ending objective of virtually all Konoha citizens, "Kakashi-sensei, you can't expect to eat dinner with that mask covering your face can you?"

Michi's eyes lit up: she hadn't thought about that and was now relishing in the idea that she was close to witnessing his entire face. To be first to witness the face behind the mask, "Come on now, no need to be shy. You're amongst friends. Take the mask off and have dinner with us."  
While she maintained a calm exterior, internally she was jumping up and down, clapping, and giggling madly.

He hated this. He hated being surrounded in a house full of geniuses but he was no dummy either.  
"You know, I can't. I just can't take away this opportunity from you. You haven't seen your sister in ten years; you haven't had her cooking in all that time and I think you are the rightful recipient to having the first taste of her food."  
Michi scowled and looked to Neji for help. She could tell Kakashi was smiling under his mask while Neji scratched his head; pretending not to notice her silent plea for help. She ran through various scenarios to get out of Kakashi's offer but none of them seem to end well.

"Fine," she said through clenched teeth.  
Her hands shook nervously as she brought the small piece of chicken toward her mouth. Kakashi and Neji stared in anticipation while Masami, unaware of their apprehension, smiled widely at her.

_No time to be a coward_, she thought to herself and quickly popped the chicken in her mouth. Anticipating the worse, the squeezed her eyes shut and cringed. But when she realized that it wasn't horrible, she opened her eyes in surprise and stared at her sister, "It's... pretty good."  
Surprised that the food connoisseur had approved, the two men quickly popped a piece of chicken in their mouths.  
In the midst of their surprise, no one had noticed that Kakashi had discreetly pulled down his mask and pulled it back on immediately.

They all murmured in appreciation, "Since when do you cook? Did you order take out?"  
"What?! No!" Masami yelled indignantly, "I slaved over a hot stove for hours! How could you say that?"  
"You are a lousy cook. You always have been, right Kakashi?"  
Kakashi didn't answer but timidly nodded, "I am not!"  
"You are too! You don't remember nearly burning the house down? Oh that's right, you don't. Let me explain then," she hadn't realized the subtle dig at her sister but the other three had, "You blew up the oven and we had to call the fire department!"  
"I was baking! How was I supposed to know it would go ka-boom? What about you? You're not much better! You set the stove on fire!"  
Neji looked at his girlfriend in shock, "You set the stove on _fire_?"  
"It's a stove! It's supposed to be on fire! And I was eight! It doesn't count!" she shrilly shrieked, "And don't get me started on you mister 'I had smoke coming from my oven!'" Glaring at Neji.  
"Hey!"  
"You had smoke coming from your oven?" Kakashi asked unbelievingly, "You _cook_?"  
"This coming from the guy who left a dish towel next to an open flame," Masami snorted.

The table fell quiet at Masami's sudden memory, "You remember?"  
"I-I-I don't know. I... I just knew."  
"Do you remember anything else?"  
"Uh, not at the moment, no."

Trying to ease the tension, Michi quipped, "Then I guess you two boys aren't allowed in the kitchen ever again."  
"I have no qualms about that," Neji agreed while Kakashi nodded.

The table settled down after the shrieking. They took their seats again and Michi asked, "Tsunade came looking for you. What did she want?"  
"They were having some technical difficulties with a new communication device they developed so they asked for my input."  
"And?"  
"And tomorrow I'm going over to the technological department to take a look."  
"Sounds like a busy day tomorrow."  
"Looks like we all have work in the morning."  
"Finish eating your dinner so you can go home early and get some rest."

The four of them finished their meals and bid each other good night.  
Neji and Michi were walking home when she suddenly stopped, "What wrong?"  
"I think we totally missed something."  
"What?"  
"Did Kakashi ever take off his mask during dinner?"  
Neji knitted his brows together in deep concentration trying to remember, "That sneaky bastard!"  
"Damn it! It was a perfect opportunity too!"  
They glumly walked home; dejected at the missed golden opportunity to witness one of the rarest sights in all of Konoha.

**Again, rectangle box + middle of the page + green letters = click, click + review**


	9. Nosey Neighbors

**Sorry it took a while to update. I went on a nice, long snowboarding trip and got a busted hand for my efforts. But man, was it fun! Can't wait to go again once I'm healed!! **

**Chapter Nine – Nosey Neighbors**

Michi hummed to herself while walking down the hallway of the hospital. She woke up feeling glorious this morning. Neji has kept his threat from yesterday morning; which included some spanking, much to her delight. Her bottom was still sore from the loving abuse he imposed on her. Mere thoughts of last night's events sent shivers down her back. She absentmindedly rubbed her wrists which were also still sore from being bounded last night.

She shook the thoughts from her head and focused on the now. She was called for personally which she gladly took. Anything was better than being locked up in a cramped office, doing nothing but stare at the walls and doing paperwork.

_I'm going to have to speak to Tsunade about getting an assistant_, she thought amusingly.

"Good morning! Lee! What's wrong with your head?"

"He tripped on a rock and fell facedown in the dirt."

"She's lying! She flung a kunai at my head when I had my back facing her."

"Wow... nice going, Tenten."

"You good for nothing tattle tail," Tenten screeched.  
"Don't worry about it... accidents happen," Michi tried to soothe the rising tempers.  
"How is this," he pointed to the gash on his head, "an accident?"  
"Stop whining or I'll make sure your next injury isn't an accident."

"This wasn't an accident in the first place, Tenten!"

"Hey, hey! There will be no threats of bodily harm in my presence!"

The two bickering teammates closed their mouths and let Michi examine the bloody gash.

"At least it's not too deep. You'll be fine. But Tenten, no more throwing weapons at an unaware opponent," she wagged her finger as if disciplining a child.  
"Yea, Tenten."  
"And Lee, stop acting like a five year old. It's not very becoming."

Remembering the gossips this morning, Tenten asked, "Are you and Neji okay?"

She looked at her strangely, "We're fine. Why wouldn't we be?"

"Well I heard some of your neighbors say that they heard some yelling from your apartment last night."

"Yelling?"

"Yeah. It was apparently very loud."  
"And this was last night?"

"Yeah."  
"And we were yelling?"

"I just said you were," Tenten said impatiently.

Realizing what she was referring to, she groaned at her neighbors' big mouths, "Tenten... we... we weren't arguing."  
"You weren't?"

"No... It wasn't _that_ kind of yelling."

At the inquisitive look on her face, Michi tried to explain, "It wasn't an _argument_ but there was some... raised voices involved..." she trailed off not sure of how to explain to her.

"Then why else would you be yelling at each other?" Oblivious to what she was referring to.

"Oh, for god's sake! She means they were yelling while they were having sex!"

The two girls looked at him in shock: sweet, pure, innocent Lee had bluntly blurted something they didn't know he was even aware of.

At their stunned faces, he rolled his eyes, "I'm a guy. And I'm 24 years old. Did you really think I didn't know about this stuff? Give me break."

Lee rolled his eyes at their stunned silence, "How about we go back to teaching our genin the power of springtime youth?" yelled enthusiastically.

They shook out of their revere, "Yea, o-okay. We should g-go."  
"Yeah, uh, b-be careful."

Tenten walked out of the room and walking in the wrong direction so Lee steered her toward the entrance, "R-right, it's this way."

Michi didn't fare much better. Once she was out in the hallway, she had forgotten where her office was. She turned right, left, and then right again before walking off to the left toward her office.

XXX

"Hyuga-kun, are you feeling all right today?"

"I feel perfectly fine. Thank you for asking."  
"If there's anything – _anything_ – I can do, don't hesitate to ask," she purred at him.

He tersely smiled, "I don't think that will be necessary but thank you for the offer... I think."

He promptly ran in, shut the door, and blew out a breath of relief.

He walked over to the couch and plopped down next to Michi, "What's wrong with our neighbors?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean our neighbor was flirting with me before I came in."  
"Are you sure it wasn't because you had something on your face?"

"It may have been a while since a woman has flirted with me since you came along but I remember what flirting is."

"Sure you do."

"Do you know anything about that?"

She sighed and threw down her magazine, "Tenten told me this morning that our neighbors heard us 'yelling at each other' last night."  
"What?"

"Yup. Your little girlfriend outside must have thought that a spilt was inevitable."

"You mean to tell me that our neighbors heard us?"

"Isn't that what I just said?"  
"And then they _talked_ about it?"

"Our neighbors: gossip extraordinaires."  
"Oh hell. We got to move."  
"Move? Move where?"

He pondered for a minute, "We can always move to the Hyuga compound."

"Oh right because having Hinata, Hanabi, and Hiashi overhear us screwing each others brains out is _so_ much better than our neighbors," she rolled her eyes sarcastically at him.

He thought quietly, rubbing his eyes tiredly, "How about we get our own house?"

"What?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Why not? We already kind of live together."

"Are you serious?"  
Continuing as if he hadn't heard, "We won't have any neighbors; or at least no neighbors that can listen in and we won't have to live with our families."

"We're twenty-something years old! What kind of twenty-something has a house?"  
"We could."  
"You're a wing nut!"  
"Would you at least think about it? It'll be nice don't you think?"

"I don't know... I-I guess I could think about it."  
"Great! We can go look at houses tomorrow."  
"I said I'd think about it! I didn't agree to it."  
"I'm hoping that once you look at the houses you'd change your mind."  
"You're incorrigible."  
He grinned boyishly, "I know. What do you say?"

She groaned and shook her head, "Ask me again tomorrow."

"I think it'll be good."

She looked at him wearily but after seeing the hope in his eyes she asked, "You're really serious about this aren't you?"

"I'm really serious," he responded soberly.

Letting a small smile over take her beautiful face, she sighed, "Well... pack up your things and tell all your friends... I guess we're moving."

"Really?"  
She nodded emphatically, "You really mean it?"

"I really mean it."

He picked her up and squeezed her tightly as she squealed, "I love you," he grinned widely at her.

"You better. I agreed to move in with you."

"It'll be fine."  
"Only bad things will breed from this."

"We'll be fine."

"You better be right or you'll have one grumpy camper in your hands."  
"That would be the last thing I want. Grumpy Michi isn't attractive."

She grabbed a pillow and smacked him in the face. His hair unraveled, he retaliated; pulling her down to the couch and tickling her relentlessly as she laughed hysterically.

Looks the neighbors are going to have something else to talk about in the morning.

**Green box means review!**


	10. Caught

**I present to you, Chapter Ten. There is some backstory to this particular chapter. Read my one shot, "That One Night," to understand the happenings of this chapter. I wrote this in as a tie in to "That One Night" because there was a high demand for a sequel which there will be entitled "Friends and Lovers" so be sure to check that out too. In the meantime, remember to feed my soul by commenting and reviewing.**

**Chapter Ten - Caught**

The past month had been hectic but they found the perfect house: it had three bedrooms, a luxurious kitchen, a spacious living room, in a quiet neighborhood.

She thought back to when they broke the news to their friends. It was during Shikamaru's birthday and all was going well until Sai forgot all about Neji's ill temper and decided to insult Neji by calling him a girl.

_"If anyone here is a girl, it's you! You call that a fucking shirt? Why don't you try wearing a real shirt for a change instead of that half a shirt, Ino!"_  
_"Hey," Ino had cried indignantly._  
_"No offense."_

She still got a chuckle every time she thought back to that exchange. Sai, for some unfathomable reason, still had his limbs attached to his body and was able to finish dinner but not before he tried to discreetly tug his shirt down.

But currently she was back at the Hyuga compound gathering the last of Neji's effects that was never moved into his apartment. Realizing she was going to need some help carrying his stuff back to the house, she located Hinata's room.

"Hey, Hinata, do you think - oh my god! Oh my god!" Her hands quickly shot up; shielding herself from the scene in front of her. "Michi-san!" Hinata squealed; surprised by her sudden appearance. "Oh my fucking god!" Michi screamed as she finally registered exactly what she saw and quickly grabbed the offender, "Off! Get off! Get off, get off, get off of her!" She shoved him out of the room and slammed the door on him. "What about my clothes?!" he cried. "You can walk home naked for all I care!"

Michi grabbed the nearest robe and shoved it in Hinata's hands, "Get dressed... quickly," she hissed. Hinata obeyed and quickly pulled her clothes on, "Michi-san, I can explain," she was stopped by a raised hand, "I don't... want to hear it," she seethed lowly.

She walked toward the door and Hinata quickly followed her. She opened the door and was met by the idiot she had just thrown out of the room, "What are you still doing here? Get out of here!"  
"Not without my clothes!" By now, she was losing her patience and was fuming. She grabbed his discarded clothes and threw it recklessly at his head, "Now get out!" her voice rang throughout the compound. "I'm sorry," Hinata mouthed as she followed Michi. "It's okay," he returned the gesture and winked at her as she blushed.

Once at Michi's, Hinata stumbled off balance and her momentum carried her into the couch. She sat quietly; afraid that if she spoke, Michi would tear her head off. "Of all the people, Hinata! Of all the people! I mean... my god! How... how long has this been going on?!" she demanded. "Not long... well actually... well... it's... complicated."  
"Then please... uncomplicated things for me!" her voice reaching abnormal octaves. "Please, don't yell," Hinata pleaded, "Please? I don't want you to be upset." Michi rubbed her eyes tiredly, "I just caught you with a self proclaimed womanizer!"

"He isn't like that!"

"It's _Kiba_. _Ki_-_ba_! Kiba, Hinata!"

"It's a long story..."  
"Then I suggest you start now!"

Hinata took a deep breath, "Three years ago," she began. "Three years ago? THREE YEARS AGO?!?!"

"Do you want to hear this or not?" Michi took a calming breath and sat down next to her. "I was at a bar trying to drinking myself to oblivion because I was depressed. Naruto developed this crush on Yuri and he went off to some mission with her."  
"That name sounds familiar..."  
"Yeah, Uchikawa Yuri. Anyway, nii-san sent Kiba to find me. I wasn't drunk or anything but I was... _inebriated_. Father would have killed me so I couldn't go home and he offered to let me crash at his place."  
"And then he took advantage of you?! I'll kill him!" Michi shot to his feet but was pulled back down. "No! He's not like that! Yes, I threw myself at him but he pushed me away. After a while, I gave up. I took the bed and he slept on the couch. But I couldn't sleep and I asked him to keep me company. I apologized for my behavior and for making him uncomfortable but then I... I threw myself at him again. Only this time, he didn't push me away. And it wasn't his fault," she said before Michi had a chance to interrupt, "It was me... all me I was the one that initiated the whole thing. I swear."

She paced in her living room, "I don't get it... If you have feelings for him so why was he with Ino?"

"That was... my fault too," she sighed quietly, "I... I slipped out that morning before he woke up." Michi stopped her pacing, "You _what_?"

"I was afraid," Hinata immediately went on the defensive, "I mean, you said it yourself... he _is_ a womanizer and I was afraid that he'd only think of me as a one night stand... another notch on his bedpost."  
"You do know that by leaving the way you did made you into a one night stand, right?"

"I am aware of the irony, thank you. But I was afraid that that was all he'd think of me. Things became awkward after that and we never brought it up... then he started to go out with Ino and their relationship was going so well... but it hurt that it wasn't me. But I was happy for them so I kept quiet."

**XXX**

He was livid. How dare he? Who did he think he was? The audacity of that fucking idiot! He was going to kill him and they would spend the next ten years looking for pieces of his body.

He pounded on the door and when it opened, his fist immediately connected to the younger man's jaw. The unsuspecting man stumbled backward from the massive force but held himself up thanks to the nearby table. "Neji, what the fuck?"

Ignoring his protests, Neji grabbed at his lapels, "You fucking bastard! I sent you to make sure she got home safe! Not to fucking bed her!"

"What?" he asked; confused at the exchange. "You filthy bastard!" he yelled as another punch landed on his other cheek; this time Kiba crashed into the counter that divided his living room from the kitchen; spilling the giant bowl of fruit onto the ground in the process.

_Fuck! Michi and her big mouth_, he cursed silently.

He was having a good day and stood outside his house when he felt his cousin was in the house with Michi. He was about to walk in when he heard Michi yell. Straining to hear what they were saying, he was able to discern bar, drinking, Neji sending Kiba, ended up sleeping together. Putting two and two together, he realized the bastard Kiba slept with Hinata that night he sent him to fetch Hinata at the bar. After that, he saw red and went directly to Kiba's apartment.

Kiba climbed to his feet; albeit unsteadily and stretched his arms in front of him in an attempt to keep his distance from the menacing Neji, "Look, Neji," he gulped as he saw Neji's fist clench into another tight fist, "Neji, I'm sorry but I-" Neji slammed Kiba into the wall, shaking the canvas hanging next to them. Kiba slid out of his grip and bolted to the other side of the room. "I don't want to hear it!" he roared, "My cousin?! My fucking cousin, Kiba? I'll kill you! I'll kill you for taking advantage of her!" Neji lunged at him but Kiba was able to sidestep his attack, "Neji, please, I can explain."

Neji's momentum carried him into the end table, knocking over the lamp. But he brushed it off, "Explain? Explain? EXPLAIN?! You think you can explain this away?"

"Dude, come on man, you know me. How much have we been through?"  
"You," he pointed at Kiba, "Are a dead man."

Not wanting Neji to pummel him into a bloody pulp like last time, he lifted his arms to shield himself and yelled, "Dude, I love her!" Neji's fist froze in mid-strike, "You... what?"

Kiba expelled an exasperated breath, "Damn it, you fucking asshole! I wanted her to be the first to know! Not her fucking psychotic cousin!"

"You... love Hinata?"

"Yeah, you fucking prick. I've been in love with her."

"Then... why the fuck were you with Ino?"

"Because she left me the next morning. I thought... she regretted what happened. I didn't want to find that she regretted what happened so I never brought it up."

"So you haven't any further contact with her since then?"

"No," he paused, "Well, we came close but your damn girlfriend came barging in just when we were about to-" he stopped short when he saw Neji's nostrils flare up in anger, "Never mind," he eeped out.

Neji continued pacing, "Then what changed? After all these years?" Kiba sighed and dropped onto the couch, "When Ino and I broke up, Hinata was there for me. She stuck by me. I mean... Ino and I weren't in love but she was the longest relationship I ever had so... I care about her. Ever since that incident three years ago, things between Hinata and I had been awkward... strained. But these past few months, we've become friends again."

Neji finally stopped pacing and Kiba stood up gingerly. Neji glared at him, "I could throttle you. I could kill you. I **_should_** kill you." Kiba nodded his head and rubbed his sore jaw, "Believe me, I know." Neji walked over to Kiba and he flinched. He only opened his eyes when he realized Neji's rage had disappeared.

And it was then that he promptly had the wind knocked out of him: Neji punched him right in the gut, "You ever hurt her, they won't know where to find your body, got it?"

He nodded, "Got it," Kiba wheezed as he tumbled onto the couch, clutching his stomach and watched Neji leave his apartment.

"Fucking bastard," Kiba muttered.

**XXX**

He returned home and found that Hinata and Michi were still talking but in hushed tones this time. They looked up when they heard his keys clatter onto the table.

Michi spoke first, "Where were you? I thought you'd be back sooner."

"Oh, no where in particular. Just thought I'd drop by Kiba's place. We had a nice... long... chat," he looked pointedly at Hinata, "Hinata-sama, is there something you wanted to tell me?" Her eyes widened comically as she realized what he was implying, "What did you do?" she asked worriedly. "Nothing he didn't deserve." Hinata shot up from her seat and stalked over to Neji, "What did you do?" her voice low and quivering. "Nothing he didn't deserve," he repeated.

Hinata knitted her brows worriedly and bolted out the door without a good-bye. Neji cracked his neck and plopped down on the couch next to his girlfriend, "So what did you do?" she asked in amusement as she played with the hair at the nape of his neck. He smirked, "Nothing he didn't deserve," he said once again. She gave his hair a hard, short tug, "Spit it out."

He grimaced at her roughness, "You know, if you wanted to play rough all you had to do was ask." She rolled her eyes at his innuendo, "Neji," she growled warningly. He grunted, "I beat him up a little," he glanced over and huffed, "Don't look at me like that. I didn't kill him. I could've. I should've. But I didn't. I do have _some_ self control." She scoffed, "Since when?"

He gave her that oh, so sexy smirk of his and waggled his eyebrows, "I'll show you who has no self control." She straddled his lap and languidly licked the pale column of his neck, "How about we christen our new bedroom?"

"How about we christen _every_ room?" he amended. He eyes shone with mischief, "I like your ideas."

"Oh, baby you should know by now that I'm chock full of them," he grinned before capturing her lips in a heated kiss.

**AN: Sorry if it's a little messy. I'm too lazy to use the HTML function to edit it. But please, don't let that stop you from reviewing =)**


	11. Old Friends

**Chapter Eleven – Old Friends**

Tsunade burst into Michi's office with a folder in her hands, "It's called knocking, Hokage-sama."

"I'm the Hokage, I don't need to knock."  
"And if you walked in on something?"

"I'd fire you."  
"You wouldn't. You like me too much."  
"Keep telling yourself that, Michi. I wouldn't push my luck if I were you." Michi gently placed her pen on her desk and looked up, "How can I help you, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade waved the folder, "Assignment." Michi took the file from her, "Am I getting paid for this?"

"You'll be generously compensated."

"Who is this?" Michi asked, holding up a photo.

"It's the Mizukage's daughter, Haruko. She was kidnapped by some rogue ninjas from Kumogakure." Michi arched an eyebrow, "A retrieval mission? Haven't had one of those in a while."

"Well I hope you're not rusty." Michi smirked, "You're kidding right?"

"You're right. It's outrageous for me to doubt you. You leave tonight."

**XXX**

She was pulling on her skin tight uniform when he walked in, "Hokage-sama gave you a mission?"

"Yea. I have to leave tonight. I'll be back as soon as possible. Don't worry... I don't have to kill anyone. Well, as long as no one gets in my way." She brushed by him but he took a hold of her arm, "Be careful." She gave him a gentle smile, "I always am," and kissed him before disappearing out the front door.

**XXX**

She made it to Kumogakure before sun rise and quickly located the abandoned warehouse where Haruko was being held. But with the dawn of light approaching, she decided to observe and explore the area. Mapping out the area took the entire day so she decided that at the next nightfall, she was going to make her move and get the girl out.

The following night came quickly and upon seeing the so called guards asleep at their post; with no ninjas in sight, "Good help is so hard to find," she shook her head disgustingly. She slipped in unnoticed by the guards and approached the young girl silently. The girl saw Michi approach and gasped but was silenced when Michi covered her mouth, "Shh. I'm here to help. Your father and the Hokage sent me. Now, we have to be quiet. And quick. Can you do that for me?"

Haruko nodded obediently and followed her out of the small room quietly. Haruko became distracted when she noticed that the guards were fast asleep. Staring intently, making sure they really were asleep, she accidentally kicked over the broom propped up against the wall. The clatter caused Michi to quickly turn toward the guards.

Michi yanked on Haruko's arms; nearly dislocating her shoulder when she saw one of the guards stirring from his sleep and ultimately opening his eyes. The two of them bolted for the steel door as the woken guard yelled out to his colleagues. Michi and her charge exploded out the door. Michi quickly shielded Haruko behind her and performed several hand seals before placing her palms flat on the ground. After mumbling a short incantation, a cold fog drifted into the atmosphere before enveloping the area. Michi's eyes began to glow an icy blue and as the guards approached, they slammed into a thick, cold, clear slab of ice.

And as quickly as her eyes turned blue, they just as quick reverted back to her natural dark brown color. She turned back to the young girl and hauled her up from the ground and fled from the area before the ninjas that kidnapped Haruko returned.

After several minutes, the girl's breathing became labored and she stumbled onto the ground. Michi squatted down, "Are you okay?" Breathless, she nodded, "Just... a little... tired. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? We're still too close to the warehouse. We need to keep moving." Michi helped her up and they continued to move through the wooden area before Michi felt they were far away enough from the warehouse. "We can rest here for the night." They gathered some twigs and wood suitable for building a fire and Michi lit it. She then threw up a cloak to keep them from being detected.

Haruko curled up into a ball and huddled next to the warm flame, "Thank you. For coming for me."

"Wasn't going to leave you here. I'll get you home. You have nothing to worry about."

"Thank you," she said again. Michi nodded, "Get some rest. We have to leave early if we want to get out of here." The girl nodded and promptly fell into a deep sleep.

Michi stayed awake, keeping guard over her but after an hour, she felt her eyelids begin to droop until she felt a disturbance in her cloak and a strangely familiar presence. She jumped up from her seat and turned to the intruder with her dagger drawn.

"It's just an old friend," the intruder replied calmly. "I hardly call you a friend," Michi scoffed but withdrew her dagger back into her holster. "What are you doing here?"

"You shouldn't be here."  
"Why not?"

"You're not amongst friends."  
"You mean you?"

"No. I'm about the only person you can trust right now." Scoffing again, Michi rolled her eyes, "I trust you about as far as I can throw you," replaying what she had just said, she furrowed her brows, "Wait, I can throw you pretty far..." she threw her arms up in the air, "Oh, you know what I mean!" He cracked a rare grin; one of those shit eating grins, "I do," and as quickly as it came, it faded, "But it doesn't change the fact that you're not in a country amongst friends."

"Care to elaborate?"

"The kidnapped girl isn't enough for you?"

"You can't fool me," she rubbed her arms slightly, "You never could. What aren't you telling me?"

"How's your sister these days?" Her head immediately snapped up, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you should go home. Go back Konoha as soon as possible. Don't stay here any longer than you have to.

Knowing she wasn't going to get anything more out of him, she started to ask, "Are you ever going to–" Her question was cut off, "You know I can't. It's too late."  
"But–"

"Drop it, Michi. I can't go ho– I can't go back." Her eyes soften; knowing he wanted to say 'home,' "I did," she quietly whispered. "You didn't do the things I did. You didn't slaughter your family."  
"You had no choice. You did it because–"

"It doesn't matter why I did what I did. All that matter is that it's done and that will never change. No matter what. The past **_can't_** change," his voice trailed off softly.

There was a long pause before he broke it, "I mean it, Michi. You should leave. Before you get yourself in trouble or worse."  
"Why don't you just tell me what's going on?"

"It's better if you don't know."

"You know that I now I **_have_** to stay and found out what you're trying to keep from me, right?" A small smile graced his face again, "I know. I know no matter what I tell you, you're still going to get yourself in trouble."  
"If you just stayed away and didn't tell me anything I would've been gone in a few hours."  
"I know. I just hoped that maybe, **_maybe_**, just once, you'd listen to me." She grinned widely, "Keep hoping."

"If you must get yourself in trouble, be careful."  
"I always am."

He turned to leave but not before tipping his hat and saying, "Be sure we never run into each other again."  
"I'll try. But there are no guarantees. I like seeing my friends."  
"I thought I wasn't a friend."  
"You'll always be a friend."  
"Good to know I have at least one."  
"What about your partner?"  
"There are some things he doesn't know. Nor do I want him to."

He once again started to leave, "I never got to thank you."  
"For what?"  
"You know what."  
She nodded in understanding, "I do."  
"Good-bye, Michi."  
"Be careful, Itachi."  
"I always am," repeating her earlier words and smiled one last time before disappearing into the vast darkness.

**AN: I don't want to spoil things for those who don't read the manga but for those that do, you know the Itachi story. Just a sidenote, I had planned for Itachi to be in this story as an old friend and a quasi-good guy before I read the events in the manga. The events in the manga just helped me and this story.**


	12. Mystery Revealed

AN: It's beem over a month since I've updated. Many sorries to make it up to you, here are two new chapters! Yay! Anyway creative differences again prevented me from updating sooner so if the plot is a little iffy, I apologize in advanced.

**Chapter Twelve – Mystery Revealed**

Michi shook Haruko awake after Itachi disappeared, "Time to wake up." Rubbing her eyes, she groaned, "What? Why? It's still dark," she asked; her voice still heavy with sleep. "You need to get out of here. You can't stay here." Confused, she looked up at her rescuer, "Me? What do you mean? What about you?"  
"I have something to do."  
"But– "  
"Don't worry about me. But you, you have to get out of here as fast as you can."  
"Without you?"

"You'll be fine," Michi pulled out a thin black strap and wrapped it around her ankle. "This will keep you safe. It's a cloak that will keep you hidden from all and any detection. Now it'll only last 48 hours after it is activated so move quickly." She pulled out another strap and wrapped it around her wrist, "This will guide you back to Konoha. Following this arrow and you'll be fine. Once you get to Konoha, find the Hokage and give this to her," she handed Haruko a slip of paper and then activated both devices, "The Hokage will have someone escort you the rest of the way home. Now go. Be careful." Haruko looked at Michi one last time and bit her lip, "Thank you," she whispered and ran off into the darkness.

Once she knew Haruko was out of sight, she put out the fire and made her way to town. Knowing the quickest way to find information, she located a small, local bar in the slums. The following night, she entered the bar and waded her way to the corner of the bar. Concealing herself so no attention was drawn to her, she scanned the patrons until her eyes landed on a rather large man situated at the back of the bar near the stairs.

She saw a smaller, younger man approach him and knew she had come to the right place. Making her way toward the restrooms, she doubled back and crept silently against the wall toward the two men. Finally close enough, she listened to the conversation between the two,  
"She's back."  
The older man chugged down his beer and burped, "What the hell are you blathering about? Who's back?" The other wringed his hands anxiously, "That Tera- something or other." Furrowing his thick eyebrows he asked, "Who?"  
"The shinobi from Konoha." The big man's eyes widened in recognition, "Terakami?" The smaller man nodded, "Yea, that's it. Terakami."  
"She's supposed to be dead!"

"We thought she was, boss!" he defended but then averted his eyes back to the wet ring that was left on the dirty bar table, "She wasn't heard from for the last ten years. We assumed she was, you know, dead." Furious, the boss slammed his fist on the table, "Well she's not, you idiot! It was a simple assignment! How could you fuck it up, you imbecile!" Looking up in panic, he pleaded his case, "I'm sorry, boss. But–"  
"Enough! I don't want to hear any more from you!"  
"What should we do?"

After a long pause, his boss asked, "Does Lord Sadao know about this?" He cast his eyes downward, "I believe so. The news has been all over town... 'The Prodigal Daughter Returns.'"  
"Fuck," he muttered underneath his breath and rubbed his temples in frustration, "And the Raikage?"  
"The Raikage was in on this too?" the younger man asked in shock.  
"Of course not, you fool. You think he would have allowed this?"

This time it was the younger man's turn to furrow his brows, "I never understood why we were hired to kill the Konoha shinobi in the first place." He then heard his boss snort loudly, "And that's why you'll never amount to anything." His confidence shot even more, he sunk further into his seat as his boss explained, "Terakami was the daughter of Terakami Masuyo. Masuyo was a brilliant inventor; head of the technological research and development department before she died. The daughter, Masami, was just as brilliant as her mother. She was in the middle of researching ways to develop a lightweight armor. And she was succeeding. Do you have any idea the kind of revenue technology like that can generate?"

At the younger man's shrug, he continued, "More than you can possibly imagine. More than what your tiny brain can comprehend. It would become a vital part in a standard shinobi uniform throughout the ninja nations. Sadao knew that and he couldn't let that happen. The mother and daughter were the only ones who knew about the process. Who knew how to produce it. For years Sadao's been trying to develop his own lightweight armor but failed. Don't you see?" He leaned in closer to the young man, "It's all about the money. It's always about the money," He sat back fully in his seat, "But now Terakami is back and Sadao will not be happy with us."

"So what do we do?"  
"What can we do? We're mere thugs. We're not ninjas. We can't possibly take on all of Konoha."  
"Do you think Lord Sadao will-?"

His question remained unfinished as they both already knew the answer: Sadao will do anything to keep Konoha from re-developing such technology.  
By any means necessary.  
Even if it means hiring a gang of the some of the worst S-class ninjas to take her out.  
His thirst for money and power surpasses all pleas for sanity.  
That is, if he hadn't lost it already.

Michi clenched her fists. Understanding what Itachi had meant when he said she wasn't amongst friends, she slipped out the backdoor and into the alley behind the bar. She paced back and forth, digging her hands worriedly into her hair while weighing her options: she could kill the Feudal Lord to keep Masami safe but risk an international incident, or she could take Masami and run.

Take her far away where no one could find them.

Tsunade wouldn't appreciate the former. The last thing she needed was an international incident with Kumogakure on top of the drama involving Iwagakure.

Making her decision, she turned and made her way back to Konoha.


	13. Decisions Made

AN: As promised, two chapters in one day! Enjoy, my gentle readers.

**Chapter Thirteen – Decisions Made**

He whistled happily back to the house; anticipating the return of Michi. Patting the small object in his pocket, he couldn't help but grin stupidly.  
This was it.  
As soon as she gets back from her mission, he was going to ask.

Feeling confident, he approached the house he felt she was already there. Smiling he entered the small house and was greeted with a mess. The furniture was pushed aside as books, newspapers, and photo frames were strewn all over the floor. Nearing the bedroom revealed nothing better; clothes, shoes, blankets, pillows, paper was scattered throughout the bedroom.

Standing slack-jawed as he watched his girlfriend pack, he asked, "What are you doing?" Michi, startled by his voice, jumped, "I'm leaving." He saw the panic in her eyes but chose to ignore it for now. Instead, he latched on to her words, "You're what?"  
"I'm leaving," she continued to shuffle about the room. Following her, he tried to get her to stop, "I heard that. What do you mean you're leaving?" She broke the hold he had on her arm, "Exactly that. I'm leaving I can't stay here anymore. It isn't safe."  
"What do you mean? What isn't safe?"  
"They're going to come. They're going to come and kill her and I won't let that happen. Not this time. This time I can stop it. This time I know what to do." Growing aggravated at her nonsensical and jumbled words, he shouted, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

She grabbed her bag and shoved past him, "I need to go," her eyes scanned wildly at the room before grabbing a key in the tray. He chased after her and grabbed her arm once again, "What is going on, Michi? What's gotten you so afraid? I can't help you if you don't tell me!"  
"I need to go," she repeated. His grip tightened, "No! I'm not letting you leave!" She jerked her head toward him, "You don't have a choice."  
"Please, tell me what's going on!"

Becoming irritated, a gust of wind knocked Neji back at the swing of her arm. Knowing he fell unconscious, she quietly apologized, "I'm sorry, Neji. I can't let you get involved in my messes," and walked out of the house.

XXX

An hour later, he was awakened by smelling salts. Remembering what happened earlier; he jolted up, "Michi! Where is she? Where's Michi?!" Kakashi shook his head, "She's gone. And she took Masami with her."

Neji grasped his head as he felt the headache return, he asked Kakashi, "Do you know what happened?"  
"Not a clue. She knocked me out too. But whatever it is, it's got her spooked. I've never seen her like this."  
"Something must have happened during her mission."  
"Do you know what?" Neji laughed bitterly, "If I knew I wouldn't be talking to you!" He sighed, "I didn't mean to snap." Kakashi shook his head, "I understand. I'm just as confused as you are. She came by the house spouting something out it not being safe and that they had to leave Konoha."

Neji swallowed thickly at Kakashi's words as he realized what she was doing, "She's running," his voice flat; devoid of emotion.  
"Running from what?"  
"I don't know. But whatever it is, it has to do with Masami." Kakashi noticed Neji's eyes grow glassy, he looked in the direction Neji was staring at and saw there was a picture of the two of them hanging on the wall.

Kakashi sighed and helped him off the floor and onto the sofa. Neji watched Kakashi go into the kitchen for a glass of water. He remembered the box that was still in his pocket and pulled it out. Opening the box he stared intently at the small object that rested prettily in the center.

Kakashi sadly approached the silent man, knowing what had gotten the proud man so upset. He placed the glass next to Neji and started to clean up when Neji broke the silence, "I was going to propose." Kakashi nodded, "I noticed."  
"I was going to do it tonight," his eyes never left the ring. Kakashi wasn't sure if Neji was talking to him or himself. He wasn't sure if Neji even knew he was there but he nodded again, "I figured as much."  
"I don't understand. What was so terrible that she couldn't tell me? I love her. She should know that no matter what, I'd help her get through it," his voice remained low and steady.  
"She knows."  
Finally tearing his eyes away, he looked up at Kakashi, "Then why?" Kakashi sat gently next to him and replied lowly, "I don't know... I don't know," he repeated, "I wish I knew."

Neji's eyes returned to the ring; embarrassed that the older ninja had seen him vulnerable.  
And all for a woman.  
How weak.  
How pathetic.  
How did he ever let a woman reduce him into a weak, pathetic, weeping, quivering wimp?

As if reading his mind Kakashi, quashed Neji's internal disgust, "You're not weak. Caring about someone doesn't make you weak. Allowing yourself to love someone is one of the hardest things we can do. It doesn't make you pathetic. It takes a lot of courage to love someone the way you love her. Not everyone would give themselves the allowance to love someone. It's often too messy. Too painful. But it's worth it. She's worth it. So it doesn't make you any less of a man. Far from it. It makes you human."

Neji choked back the tears that threatened to fall, "What do I do?"  
"We find them. We drag them back. Kicking and screaming if need be. But we find them and we get them back." Neji looked up at that, "We?" Kakashi smirked behind his mask, "You didn't think I was gonna let you play hero all by yourself did you? I'm not letting you take all the glory. I got a girl of my own I need to rescue." Neji allowed himself to smile ruefully, "Where do we start?" Kakashi scratched his head and looked at the young ninja that he watched grow up to be a man, "I'll summon Pakkun to track them. It shouldn't take too long. I just wish I knew where they could've gone."

Neji's head shot up at that, hating himself that he hadn't realized it sooner, "I know where they are." Kakashi looked over and heard Neji say, "The cottage."

**Remember to click the little box with the green letters at the center just below this message. I'm currently accepting reviews as a form of payment.**


	14. Questions Answered

AN: Sorry for the way. But I've finally finished the story all thats left to do is proofread and format so I'll try to post a few chapters a day... or at least a chapter a day. Enjoy Chapter 14!

**Chapter Fourteen – Questions Answered**

Kakashi and Neji sped through the night; pushing their bodies to run faster. Before they left, they had stopped off at Tsunade's office to inform her what was happening.

_"Neji, Kakashi, what are you doing here so late?" The Hokage was clearly surprised at their appearance. "Michi's gone," Neji quickly informed her. "And she took Masami with her," Kakashi added. Confused, she raised her hand up, "Wait, what? They're gone? Gone where?"  
"We think she went back to the cottage."  
"What? Why? What is going on?"  
"We're not entirely sure, Hokage-sama. But it definitely has something to do with Masami." _

_Her shoulder slumped, "Shit," she muttered. Kakashi and Neji looked at each other, "Do you know something?" Tsunade sighed, "Masami's disappearance was always a mystery. There was never a body. But there was never any contact so we declared her dead after three years. Everyone assumed that it was an accident. But there were others that didn't feel that way."  
"What do you mean?"  
"There was always something sinister behind her disappearance. We thought there was a conspiracy that led to those higher up on the Kumogakure food chain." Kakashi's eyes widened, "The Raikage?" the shock, evident in his tone.  
"No, absolutely not. He would never get caught up in something like this. The feudal lord however, is a different story," she shook her head sadly, "I should have never sent her to Kumogakure. She must of have found something out."  
"Do you think she-?"  
The Hokage shook her head, "She wouldn't. She isn't that foolish to assassinate the feudal lord. Even if she found out that he was behind Masami's murder-slash-disappearance. She's too level headed to do that."  
"Not level headed enough to stay," Neji muttered. _

_"She must have felt that the only way to protect Masami was to run. She must have figured that Sadao would go after her again once he found out that Masami wasn't dead. She should've just killed him."  
"I don't get. Why didn't she?"  
"We have enough problems as it is. With the current Tsuchikage, we can't just kill one of the most powerful men in Kumogakure. The retribution that could come out it is the last thing we need. That's why she ran." _

_The older woman shook her head sadly, "Make sure you bring her back. She's being foolish thinking that running will solve things."  
"What are you going to do?"  
"There's nothing I can do right now. Sadao is a delusional, old fool. It's true he'll probably try again but it's more likely that he won't. It would be political suicide. Knock some sense into that girl and get her ass back here."_

Neji shook the memories from his head. Right now his only focus was on finding Michi and convincing her to go home with him. If he has to knock her unconscious and hog tie her, he would but he wasn't leaving without her. The two jonins arrived at the cottage in record time. When they entered, they were greeted with a kunai launched at their heads.

Luckily, they dodged it before it was able to do any damage, "Jeez, woman! Watch where you're aiming that thing!" Her tense stance relaxed, "What the hell are you doing here?"  
"Taking you back to Konoha that's what!"  
"I'm not leaving. Not when Sadao is still out there. Not when he's still after her!"  
"He's not going to try anything! Not as long as you're still in Konoha!"  
"I'm not taking any chances. I'm not going through this again. Just go. I left because I didn't want you to get involved."  
"Well it's too bad. I'm already involved," he threw his arms up and began pacing,  
"And I should be involved! What ever happens we should handle it together! Not run off like a coward."

"I'm not risking it. You can call me whatever you like but I'm not going anywhere."  
"You're coming home with me whether you like it or not. Kakashi and I aren't leaving here without you and your sister."

Kakashi finally broke out of his silence, "Hokage-sama wants you back. You should know by now that I'm not above using whatever means necessary to do so. God forbid we defy a direct order from the Hokage herself." Michi rolled her eyes at him, "Bite me, Hatake!" He frowned slightly, "I'd prefer not to," noticing Masami was nowhere in sight, he asked, "Where's your sister?"

"Asleep," seeing Kakashi wander off to the direction of the bedrooms, she yelled,  
"Don't disturb her! She's had a long day."

Neji silently thanked Kakashi when he disappeared further into the small cottage. Turning to his pigheaded, stubborn girlfriend, he sighed, "I thought you loved me," he rubbed his jaw after he felt her hand connect to his face, "How dare you doubt my feelings for you," she calmly seethed. His nostrils flared in anger, "Well what else am I supposed to think? You run off with no explanation! Not as much as a good-bye! You tell me what I should think after what you did!"

Exasperated, he sighed loudly, "How did all this happen?"  
"Corruption, greed," she laughed bitterly, "Root of all evil right?" she shook her head, "It doesn't matter anymore. You shouldn't worry." He grabbed her arm and spun her around, "Like hell I shouldn't worry," seeing she wanted to interrupt, he didn't give her the chance, "I've had enough of your pity ditty. 'Oh, I can't loose my sister,' 'Oh, I don't want to involve you.' Enough! I love you! You're my girlfriend! I'm allowed to worry!"

The intensity of his pale eyes boring into her forced Michi to turn away. He grasped her upper arms and shook her; forcing her to meet his eyes, "Don't shut me out. Not now. Please. Please don't shut me out. I can't bear it. I can't lose you. It hurts so much..." he pounded his chest, "right here. Every time I'm with you, there's this pain that doesn't go away. And I don't want it to. Because it's proof that I love you. I. Love. You," he repeated; stressing every syllable of every word, pouring every emotion he felt for her in his words.

He felt her body shake against him and Michi buried her head into his chest, "I love you," she murmured lowly but he heard it loud and clear. He closed his eyes in relief after hearing her murmured words, "I love you so much. Don't leave me ever again," his whispered words muffled into her hair. "I promise," she sniffled, pressing her nose into the crook of his neck. "Please, come home with me. What ever happens, we'll take care of it together." Neji felt her nod and let out another sigh of relief.

Maneuvering them over to the small sofa, he felt his shirt grow wet with tears. Realizing the tears and the sobs that wracked her body had stopped, he knew she had fallen asleep. He lifted her up and carried her into the small bedroom. Sensing another presence in the room he quietly said, "We'll head home tomorrow. It's been an emotional day for everyone."

Kakashi nodded even though he knew Neji couldn't see, "Get some rest yourself, Neji." Neji gave him an imperceptible nod and Kakashi retreated to another room; making sure the small cottage was secure he turned to the last available room. Sighing, he threw himself onto the bed and groaned wearily before drifting off into a fitful sleep.

AN: There you have it. Look for chapter 15 soon. I swear. Only some minor tweaking is needed. Review!


	15. Final Farewells

**Chapter Fifteen – Final Farewells**

They had woken up before the sun rose and arrived back home just a little after noon. Exhausted, they returned to their respective homes but not before Michi pleaded with Kakashi to look after her sister, "I was going to do that even without your asking," was what he told her.

The next night, word from Kumogakure arrived revealing that Feudal Lord Sadao had been assassinated. The perpetrator: unknown.

Gathered in Tsunade's office, Michi, Neji, Kakashi, and Masami listened, "They don't know who was sent to assassinate Sadao. They had planned on launching an investigation on his death but decided against it. The people didn't particularly like him, so there's no big loss among the masses. As a matter of fact, they'd probably thank who ever killed him in the first place." Everyone's eyes turned to Michi as hers widened at the scrutiny, "Well don't look at me! I didn't do it. I was too busy running away."

The Hokage continued, "They're most likely going to call off the investigation. No one is particularly interested in how he died or who killed him... just that he's dead and buried." Kakashi's curiosity overtook him, "How did he die?" Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples, "He was found dead in his bed. Died of exsanguination with no discernable wounds." Michi looked at Tsunade confusedly, "He bled out without bleeding out?" The blonde shrugged her shoulders, "Apparently. It's the weirdest thing but that's what they're telling us."

"Is that even possible?" Neji asked just as confused as everyone else. "Well he's proof it's possible isn't he?" she flicked her hand dismissively. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you what was going on. You don't have to worry about Sadao coming after you anymore. Now go home. You all have work that needs to be done in the morning." Her attention returned to the hated paperwork but when she noticed they were still in her office she looked up, "What are you still doing here? Get out of here!" she pointed to the door and all the occupants scrambled out.

After the emotional rollercoaster of the past handful of days left them ragged. Kakashi escorted Masami home. During the course of all the turmoil, their relationship had grown and developed into something more than just friends. Neji went back to the ANBU headquarters to finish the report that had been on his desk for the past week while Michi retreated home.

Michi sat on the large tree stump next to the back porch stairs, folding her legs and hugging them close for warmth. She took a deep breath and blew out a sigh of relief. She finally knew the reasons behind her sister's mysterious death. And now that threat, that fear has been lifted from her shoulders.

"I thought you said you never wanted to run into each other again," she smirked even though she couldn't see him. He emerged from the darkness, "Well you don't listen to me so why should I listen to myself?" She scoffed, "You are such a goober." He snorted at that, "Oh, yea that's real mature, Mich." She smiled and shrugged at that, "Maturity never was my strong suit."

He settled himself next to her and after a long stretch of silence she asked, "It was you." It was a statement but demanded an answer. "It was." She squinted her eyes at him, "Wanna tell me how someone without any wounds bleeds out?" He merely shrugged at her question, "I have many talents."  
"You told me not to get in trouble and you went to get in trouble yourself!" His eyes wandered up to the stars, "I'm Akatsuki, remember? Evil? I'm supposed to get in trouble." She rolled her eyes, "Oh, yeah. You are the biggest bad of them all."  
"And don't you ever forget it," he deadpanned.

She inhaled deeply, "So what are you doing here?" Raising an eyebrow he grumbled, "What? I can't visit an old friend? Make sure she's okay?" Rolling her eyes at him once again, she pointed out that he already knew she was okay; safe and sound and in no trouble in any way, shape or form. He quickly agreed with her assessment but quickly quipped that she'd find trouble falling out of a boat as evidence in the debacle with the Hidden Village of the Rain eight years ago. To which she promptly responded that that debacle only happened because he decided it was a good idea to try out his new technique that resulted in her having to clean up his mess.  
They rested shoulder to shoulder, "Thank you," she said softly. He cleared out the imaginary wax out of his ears, "I'm sorry, did you say something? I didn't quite catch that." She shoved him gently, "Don't push your luck." He sighed, "Just wanted to help out an old friend. No need to thank me."  
"Well I'm saying thank you anyway. Just say 'you're welcome' and be done with it."  
He scoffed lightly, "You're welcome."

He let the silence hang over them for several minutes before telling her, "I'm glad you're safe. And I'm glad you're happy. You are happy, right?" She smiled widely at him, "I am. I'm really happy." He gave her a small nod, "Good. Because if he didn't make you happy I'd have to hurt him." She chuckled, "Well you don't have to worry about that. Neji makes me very happy. And if you ever laid a hand on him, I'd..."  
"You'd do what?" he challenged. "I'd do something really, really bad," she finished lamely but still smiling. "I'm shaking in my wicker sandals." Amused, she shook her head and stood up, "I should head back in." He nodded in agreement, "Promise you won't be too bad?" He grinned at that, "You know I can't promise that. Evil, remember?" Rolling her eyes at seemingly the thousandth time tonight, she grumbled,  
"My foot is eviler than you."

She caught a clear look at his face, "If you can't stop being evil, at the very least please be safe."

"That, I can promise." He approached her, "Don't get into too much trouble. And this time, make sure we don't run into each other again. Not if we can help it." He waited until she nodded, "Be safe. Be happy."

"You too." He smiled sadly at her, "Happiness isn't in my future. It never has been. It never will be. But thanks for the sentiment."

He placed a gentle kiss at the corner of her mouth, "Good-bye, Michi." And with a swirl of his cloak, he disappeared into the night but still heard her whisper, "Good-bye, Itachi."

---

Yay! One chapter left. Review, review!


	16. Leap of Faith

It's the end, it's the end! If there are any mistakes (grammtical or structural) I apologize beforehand. I got lazy editing and proofreading.

**Chapter Sixteen – Leap of Faith**

At that very moment, Neji came into the yard, "Are you okay?" She smiled widely and snuggled in his arms, "Just perfect." The smile plastered on her face making it hard for him to refrain from smiling himself, "You feel better now?" She gave him a short nod, "Did I ever thank you for coming to find me?" He looked up thoughtfully, "As a matter of fact you haven't." She played with the hair at the nape of his neck, "How do I ever rectify such an oversight?"

"I don't know but if I were you, I'd start thinking real long and hard about it because I expect a workable plan by tonight." Michi chuckled throatily, "Well good thing I'm a quick thinker because I already have a plan." He smirked smugly, "I look forward to hearing about this plan of yours."

Michi dipped her head toward his lips and tenderly kissed him. They stayed that way for several moments, reacquainting themselves in each others arms and getting lost in each others taste. Neji languidly ran his tongue over the seam of her lips; pleading for entry to which she readily complied. She deepened the kiss, stroking the roof of his mouth with her tongue as he slid his tongue over hers.

Turning, he carried her back into the house not stopping until they reached the bedroom. He let her down and gently placed her feet onto the wooden floor. "I've missed you. So much," she whispered over his lips. He returned the sentiment, "I've missed you. I love you."

She removed his arm guards and slid the armbands off as well. Unbuckling his chest plate, she helped him peel out of his armor and relishing in the feel of his muscles under the thin uniform. Slipping her hands underneath the thin material, she pushed his shirt up and over his head and dropping it onto the floor.

She walked him backward until his legs hit the bed. He sat silently as she stood in between his legs. He gently placed his hands on her hips and then ran his hands over her well formed curves. Reaching for her sash, he slowly tugged it loose and her robe fell open. Unable to resist, he placed a kiss just below the swell of her breast.

Dragging her hands through his hair, he was forced to look up at him. She kissed him soundly on the lips as he slid her robe off her shoulders. His hands caressed her back lightly as she removed his forehead protector. They stared into each other's eyes as she unraveled the bandages concealing his curse seal. Fully revealed, she reluctantly broke eye contact with him and traced the seal with her fingers. He sighed when he felt her softly kiss the center of his seal.

He nuzzled against her chest as she pushed him down on the bed. He slipped his hand under the waistband of her panties; pushing it over the curve of her ass. She kicked it down her slender legs before pushing herself up and removed his boots. Climbing back on the bed, she pulled loose the drawstring holding his pants up. He lifted his hips up to help her strip him of his pants. Once tossed aside, he pulled her body flush against his and quickly rolled her under him.

He captured her hand and laced their fingers together. Looking down at her, he grew breathless, "I love you." Knowing she felt the same, he reached into the nightstand by the bed and pulled out the ring he'd been aching to put on her finger. Pulling the box open, he extracted the ring and tossed the box aside, "I've been waiting to ask you this for the longest time. But with everything that went on, it made it a bit difficult. So I'm going to ask you now before something else pops up and screws me out of a chance," he took a deep breath before continuing, "Marry me."

She bit her lip to keep from smiling, "That wasn't really a question." Grinning, he asked quietly, "You really gonna make me ask?" When she nodded, he asked in an uncharacteristically gentle voice, "Will you marry me?" Not able to voice the words, she nodded emphatically. He quickly slid the ring on her finger and kissed her palm. Cupping his cheek, she rubbed her thumb across his strong jaw line, "I love you," and pulled him down for a kiss.

Needing to finish the emotional connection they just shared with a physical one, he slowly slid in her already slick channel. Knowing there was no need to rush, she groaned in delight at the slow invasion. Setting a deliberate pace, he pulled out of her before sliding back in her wanton heat. She wrapped her legs around his thighs as he kissed her gently; letting the fire and passion slowly build. They rocked against each other unhurriedly; allowing themselves to savor in the love they shared expressed in the form of physical intimacy.

Their need to relish in the connection was soon overwhelmed by the desire for the other's release. With one hand lacing his fingers with hers, he used the other to grasp her hip. With his hand guiding his movements, he pulled out slowly and quickly slamming back in; his pelvis grinding against her clit and his heavy balls slapping her ass. She arched her back as her free hand flew to grip his ass; encouraging him to continue. Digging her nails into his flesh, he thrust himself into her once again; not stopping until her felt her velvety walls flutter around his length.

"God, I love you Michi," he panted hoarsely as he slipped his hand between their bodies, "I want to see you... I want to see you come. Come for me, baby." He rubbed her clit until he heard her cry out his name and felt her warm juices coat his cock. After several short thrusts, he followed her over; roaring her name as he shot his thick, creamy semen into her womb.

Collapsing on top of her, he listened and waited for her racing heartbeat to return to normal before gathering enough energy to flip them over without breaking their intimate connection. He felt her sigh, "You sure you wanna marry me?" he heard her ask quietly as she drew random patterns on his chest, "I have issues. A lot of them... as witnessed by this past week. I can be an emotional wreck and I'm prone to run away when things aren't going well. Are you sure you want to deal with all that?"

He tipped her chin up until she was looking at him, "There is nothing more in this world that I want to deal with. Emotional wreck and all. As for the running away thing? I'll come get you. Always. And convince you to come home to me. And if all else fails, I'll just have to chain you somewhere. The question is, are you sure you want to marry me? I have more issues than you and that's saying a lot. I know I'm a lot to handle. My temperament leaves a lot to be desired, I have a superiority complex that I can't seem to get rid of; nor do I want to, and I can be quite the asshole as you like to often point out. But I love you. I know I love you."

And she knew it too.  
He could hear it in his words and voice, see it in his eyes, and feel it in his touch.

"So do you really want to marry me?" he held her gaze and asked seriously.

Taking the final leap of faith, she whispered, "I really want to marry you."

He gathered her in his arms and kissed and knew everything was going to be okay.

---

As always, review!


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